After years of throwing verbal punches at Robert Kyagulanyi and other leaders of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and acting defiant, controversial Kimanya-Kabonera legislator Abed Bwanika has made a surprising turn, now declaring that he is still a member of the party.Bwanika’s statement, made during a live political talk show on NBS TV on Sunday comes just days after NUP issued a strong ultimatum warning all defiant party MPs to either apologize and realign with the party or face political isolation in the next general election.
“I’m still a member of NUP, but I wrote a letter to the leadership raising some concerns. How they respond to those questions will determine whether I remain in the party or not.”
The legislator’s softer tone comes in the wake of NUP’s firm stance, where the party recently announced that it would not support rebellious members in the 2026 elections, and would instead back new, more disciplined candidates.
The message, delivered through various party leaders and insiders, made it clear that loyalty and discipline would be non-negotiable.
This development appears to have made Bwanika, who for years has been one of the most outspoken critics of his own party, think again.
From accusing the NUP leadership of being Kampala-centric and structureless, to boycotting key party retreats, Bwanika’s history with the party has been marked by constant friction.
In 2022, he dismissed NUP’s boycott of parliamentary sessions as “theatrics,” and warned that such actions alienated voters, later accusing the party of promoting a “personality cult” around its president, Robert Kyagulanyi, and failing to accommodate diverse opinions.
The bad blood deepened when a motor-mouthed MP skipped a party retreat in 2023 and openly pushed for dialogue with the ruling government, an approach strongly rejected by NUP leaders.
On NBS TV, however, Bwanika appeared to be taking a step back, even though he maintained a critical tone.
“I was elected by the people of Kimanya-Kabonera. I won’t deny that the NUP card had some influence, but in the last election, NUP issued 381 party tickets, yet only 59 of us made it to Parliament,” he said, once again casting doubt on the party’s electoral strength.
In a twist, Bwanika also revealed that before NUP was formed, there had been an internal deal within the Democratic Party (DP) to front Kyagulanyi as its presidential candidate while Norbert Mao stayed on as party president. That plan, he claimed, was sabotaged by Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi.
While his tone has slightly softened, questions remain about whether this is a genuine show of loyalty or simply a strategic move to survive politically.
With the 2026 elections drawing closer and the NUP leadership drawing a red line on internal rebellion, Bwanika may be calculating that the cost of continued defiance is now too high, and if he doesn’t back off, he risks losing his MP slot. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
