By Mulengera Reporters
Largely because of the pressure from some key leaders of the Diaspora chapters, NUP Principal Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu has lately been deeply very thoughtful about how to keep close to his loyalist David Lewis Rubongoya (Party SG) without alienating his core political base. The Diaspora NUP activists, who have such big stake because of the generosity with which they fund NUP party activities and blog amplifying the same, have lately been very hostile to Rubongoya and Joel Senyonyi claiming they are 5th columnists who can potentially sabotage and kill the struggle from within.
Sources say that even recently as Kyagulanyi travelled out of the country, there was pressure from among some of his key Diaspora-based activists not to have Rubongoya or Senyonyi involving themselves in the trip. Some of these are very wild claims but yet the Kyagulanyi dilemma is such that the Diaspora is a base he can’t easily do away with. The Diaspora activists have not only funded the struggle but have also participated in plenty of blogging aimed at demonizing the other would-be alternative opposition leaders while proclaiming Kyagulanyi’s political infallibility.
There are things which only the Diaspora-based activists can do or even say in defense of Kyagulanyi (and get away with it) as doing it locally here would naturally be risky. Take the example of the stuff Turkey-based Fred Lumbuye keep spewing out; only a Diaspora-based blogger can do such and get away with it. If anyone attempted similar martyrdom here, he or she would end up being had for dinner by Gen Museveni’s security apparatus. But Lumbuye and other Diaspora-based supporters can, at least for now, keep getting away with it because they are out of the Ugandan jurisdiction.
All this combines to make the Diaspora supporters a critical core component in the Kyagulanyi political calculus. The likes of Patricia Sewungu, Peng Peng, Kojja Omugezi, Fred Lumbuye and others feel it’s their struggle to the extent that it’s only their blogging that can cripple and bring down Kyagulanyi who, the truth is, remains very formidable (beyond the Diaspora) largely because of the spontaneous widespread support he enjoys inside Uganda.
SG FIGHTS
The relentless attacks and demonization by the Diaspora-based supporters, unfounded as it is, has greatly impacted on especially SG Rubongoya to the extent that he these days doesn’t want to keep away from Kyagulanyi (some have called it suffocating the Principal and denying him any breathing space). Wherever the Principal goes, Rubongoya wants to keep within spitting distance (just in case). Many times, Hon Kyagulanyi remains and works at his residence in Magere but because he doesn’t want to take chances, Rubongoya travels there ostensibly to ensure nobody comes to badmouth him corroborating claims being made by some of the Diaspora trouble causers.
“If the Principal is not to leave home, the SG will drive there and tight-marks him to the extent that even if he goes in the toilet for a short call, he will escort, follow him and wait from some comfortable distance. He will only leave after 6pm. Some think there is business they are discussing about the Parliamentary leadership but the truth is its paranoia. Sometimes the Principal travels incognito to be able to go to for instance Kyebando to meet his brother Fred Nyanzi to have some private discussions otherwise Rubongoya is determined to deprive him of any privacy,” says a deeply knowledgeable source.
That recently, hoping that Rubongoya wouldn’t be coming in soon, Kyagulanyi rang Fred Nyanzi asking him to drive to Magere in order for them to have some private discussions relating to the future of NUP. Contrary to what the Principal expected, Rubongoya arrived earlier than had been anticipated. He actually arrived ahead of Nyanzi who reached almost an hour after the SG.
“He greeted the two, Principal and SG, and then walked into one of the rooms in the Magere house where the Principal immediately joined him. They engaged in a private discussion for more than 30 minutes as Rubongoya waited. Feeling worthless, the SG got his phone and rang the Principal protesting as to why he was being sidelined. He demanded to know which NUP business the two were discussing that the Principal didn’t want him to be privy to,” a deeply knowledgeable source confided in Mulengera News this Monday afternoon.
To corroborate our story, we rang a number of key senior officials in NUP who, on condition of anonymity, confirmed being aware of the Magere bust up between SG Rubongoya and the two Sentamu brothers. That since that bust up, Rubongoya has emotionally been a deeply very broken man while feeling unwanted inside the NUP, a party he sacrificed his entire professional career to come to Kamwokya and nurture. (For comments on this story, call, text or whatsapp us on 0705579994, 0779411734, 0200900416 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).