Kyagulanyi sends Muwanga-Kivumbi to repair NUP-Buganda ties

On January 16, the National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, appointed Butambala member of parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi as his deputy in charge of the Buganda region.

Muwanga Kivumbi replaced Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, who had been suspended by the party last year after refusing to resign as a commissioner of parliament. The party had asked Mpuuga to step down after revelations emerged that he had received Shs 500 million as a service award less than a year into his tenure as leader of the opposition (LoP).

His refusal to comply with the party’s directive triggered a realignment of political alliances in Buganda, dividing loyalties within the region.

While some of Mpuuga’s allies, such as MPs Abed Bwanika, Juliet Nakabuye Kakande and Mbwatekamwa Kakembo, have remained firmly by his side, others who had been close to him for years chose to align with the party. Some of these former allies have even joined those criticizing Mpuuga.

The focus of this analysis, however, is on Mpuuga’s long-standing allies, individuals who have been part of his political journey for nearly his entire career. These include prominent figures such as the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga; Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Sseggona; Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda; former Lubaga North MP Moses Kasibante; Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze; and Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago.

In the past, these figures worked closely together, even when belonging to different political alliances. Most of them were elected in 2011 under the Ssuubi pressure group, a coalition that focused on Buganda’s political interests. They consistently stood behind one another and offered mutual support, regardless of the shifting national political dynamics.

However, the rise of the National Unity Platform has reshaped this political landscape. Apart from Ssemujju and Lukwago, the rest of the Ssuubi group joined NUP, becoming some of the party’s most prominent and senior members. This marked a significant shift, as many who once stood alongside Mpuuga now found themselves aligned with a different political force.

THE FIGHT FOR LEADER OF OPPOSITION

When the National Unity Platform (NUP) took over the position of leader of opposition (LoP) in parliament from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), which had held it since 2006, competition among senior leaders for the role immediately began.

Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, Medard Lubega Sseggona, Mathias Mpuuga and Betty Nambooze each saw themselves as deserving of the position. While Sseggona stayed out of the lobbying, the other three actively and covertly campaigned for the role. At one point, Nambooze visited Robert Kyagulanyi’s home in Magere with a delegation from Mukono, bearing gifts, and openly lobbied for her appointment.

Mpuuga, who had been the first former Democratic Party (DP) member to publicly declare his allegiance to NUP, also worked to secure the position. Meanwhile, Muwanga Kivumbi, though less overt in his efforts, reportedly reached out to individuals with influence over Kyagulanyi, seeking their support.

In the end, Kyagulanyi appointed Mpuuga as LoP, a decision that silently created tension and enmity among Mpuuga, Muwanga Kivumbi, and Nambooze. Initially, Muwanga Kivumbi collaborated with Mpuuga to block Nambooze’s political ambitions. Nambooze had hoped to lead the Buganda Parliamentary Caucus, the largest caucus in parliament, now that NUP held a majority of its members.

She had previously served as the deputy chairperson of the caucus in the previous parliament. However, Mpuuga and Muwanga Kivumbi worked together to ensure she did not succeed. Ultimately, Muwanga Kivumbi was elected as caucus chairperson, much to Nambooze’s frustration.

Nambooze accused Mpuuga and Muwanga Kivumbi of greed, claiming they had “killed” the caucus at a time when it should have been vibrant, given the opposition’s strong presence in parliament. According to a close friend of Muwanga Kivumbi, he sought the caucus chairmanship to compensate for being overlooked for the LoP role.

TENSIONS BETWEEN NUP AND BUGANDA KINGDOM

Muwanga Kivumbi’s tenure as caucus chairperson coincided with increasing tension between NUP leadership and the Buganda kingdom. This placed Muwanga Kivumbi in a difficult position. According to a close friend, he had a deep love for the kingdom and a personal relationship with the Katikkiro, Charles Peter Mayiga, which had developed over many years.

However, the NUP’s online supporters began targeting Mayiga, labeling him an obstacle to the party’s goals. Muwanga Kivumbi found himself conflicted. He became less active in caucus matters, as he could not reconcile the vitriol directed at the Katikkiro with his loyalty to both the kingdom and the party.

KYAGULANYI’S PROMISES TO MUWANGA KIVUMBI

Throughout Mpuuga’s term as LoP, insiders claim Kyagulanyi repeatedly assured Muwanga Kivumbi that he would be the next LoP. One source said, “Mpuuga was sacked more than 10 times before he was finally removed. On most occasions, when Kyagulanyi made up his mind about sacking Mpuuga, he told Muwanga Kivumbi to prepare to take over.”

However, when Mpuuga was eventually removed, Kyagulanyi chose Joel Ssenyonyi, a first-term MP from Nakawa West, as the new LoP. This decision reportedly disappointed Muwanga Kivumbi, who had long believed he was next in line.

Despite the setback, Muwanga Kivumbi accepted an appointment as chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), while Sseggona was made chairperson of COSASE, and Mpuuga retained a position as a parliamentary commissioner.

THE FALLOUT OVER SHS 500 MILLION

The political tensions escalated after it was revealed that Mpuuga had awarded himself Shs 500 million as a service award during his term as LoP. This revelation reportedly gave Muwanga Kivumbi an opportunity to challenge Mpuuga’s political standing. During a contentious meeting at NUP headquarters last year, a source claims Muwanga Kivumbi demanded that Mpuuga return the money and resign as commissioner
of parliament.

Mpuuga, however, refused to step down after consulting with his allies. This marked the definitive end of his uneasy alliance with the NUP  leadership, which had lasted over three years. Since then, Muwanga Kivumbi and Nambooze have publicly criticized Mpuuga, accusing him of corruption and betrayal.

According to a close associate of Muwanga Kivumbi, he felt that his contributions to Kyagulanyi’s rise far outweighed those of Mpuuga, yet he was overlooked.

“Muwanga Kivumbi saw himself as having worked more for Kyagulanyi than Mpuuga but was given nothing. He, competed with Mpuuga over who was Kyagulanyi’s most loyal supporter. He therefore, saw Mpuuga’s misfortunes as opportunities to assert himself,” the source added.

NUP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BUGANDA KINGDOM

Speaking during the introduction of Muhammad Muwanga-Kivumbi as the new deputy president for the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu asked him to improve the party’s strained relationship with the Buganda kingdom. For the first time, Kyagulanyi openly admitted that NUP’s relationship with the influential kingdom had deteriorated, citing the fallout with Mathias Mpuuga and previous tensions as key contributors to the divide.

“Buganda is the heart of Uganda, and we want to use it as our base. If the base is not firm, you can’t use it to build elsewhere,” Kyagulanyi said. He argued that President Museveni has historically worked to destabilize Buganda, knowing its importance to Uganda’s political landscape.

“We want to base here in Buganda to expand to other parts of Uganda. But we have had problems with our previous leader. Instead of uniting us with the kingdom, our former vice president was creating divisions. We are sending you to mend that relationship with the Buganda kingdom.”

Kyagulanyi emphasized the need to send a clear message to the kingdom, distancing the party from those who he claimed were misrepresenting NUP’s stance.

“I want you to take our message to the kingdom: those who claim to speak for us are not truly speaking for us. If we had the opportunity to speak for ourselves, we would have loved it. But because we don’t have that chance, as our deputy president, we are asking you to deliver this message. We are loyal subjects of the Kabaka,” Kyagulanyi stated.

MUWANGA-KIVUMBI TAKES A SWIPE AT MPUUGA

In his address, Muwanga-Kivumbi could not resist making veiled references to Mathias Mpuuga, though he did not mention him by name. His remarks left no doubt about who he was referring to.

“Museveni uses money to buy off our leaders,” Muwanga-Kivumbi said.

“It hurts to see someone you had hope in as a leader being bought by money. So, all of us seated here must immunize ourselves against greed for money, just as we immunized ourselves against Covid-19,” he added, drawing loud applause and cheers from the audience, who responded by shouting Mpuuga’s name.

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