The Leader of Opposition (LOP), Mathias Nsamba Mpuuga, has announced a country oversight tour where he is expected to launch his presidential ambitions for the forthcoming 2026 general election.
The oversight tour schedule that Mpuuga announced on Sunday, June 4, 2023 via his Twitter account states that he will begin in the Nakaseke district on Monday, June 5, and Greater Luweero on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, respectively. These districts are believed to be the strongholds of the National Resistance Army (NRM) and President Museveni.
According to a member of his mobilization team during the tour, Mpuuga will be using the opportunity to market himself and promote his agenda as a presidential candidate.
Mpuuga, who is also a member of Parliament for Nyendo-Mukungwe division, expressed his excitement and readiness to meet the people of Luweero district and Nakaseke, where he will pick ideas to make his manifesto.
“To the great people of Luweero, I’m looking forward to interacting and hearing from you,” he announced through his Twitter handle.
Another source close to Mpuuga and an MP revealed that the leader of Uganda’s largest opposition party in Parliament, is awaiting dismissal as the LOP and that is when he will launch a political party he believes would be based on values, principles, accountability, and service.
“He is just waiting to be replaced as LOP so that he can play victim and accuse his party of sacking, availing him freedom to form his own political party to contest for the Presidency in 2026,” a source revealed the plan.
The eloquent Mpuuga is believed to be contemplating leading a mass exodus of Members of Parliament from the NUP party, mostly from the Buganda region, and those who still believe in his style of leadership based on accountability and service.
He faults some members and supporters, mostly the lower NUP supporters commonly known as foot soldiers who have consistently accused him of abandoning the struggle, and bedding with oppressors. He says these have kept fighting him and his agenda as Leader of the Opposition.
The former member of the Democratic Party is also said to have brought the constitutional and electoral reforms a few months before the reshuffles in the opposition cabinet to show his staunch supporters how he was sacked in the middle of highly needed reforms.
The National Unity Platform Deputy President (Central Region) will be capitalizing on party MPs from the Buganda region under their umbrella, commonly known as the G20, and others that still believe in 2026 elections.
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the NUP president, and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, are opting for other alternatives to dislodge President Yoweri Museveni and his family from power other than through ballot paper, a move Mathias Mpuuga disagrees with.
Mpuuga says his party has made a number of party constitution amendments, some without his knowledge or consent, like introducing term limits for elected leaders, especially Members of Parliament, that he believes would force some of the party’s breed of politicians to join other political parties or contest as independents for elective positions.
“A Member of Parliament cannot make a final decision. Therefore, even if you haven’t given them a party flag, people can give them another mandate as they wish,” Mpuuga replied at his party in an interview with a local media house.
MPUUGA’S POLITICAL CAREER
Born on October 12, 1975 (47), to the late Vincent Nsamba and Gertrude Nsamba in Masaka District. He attended Kyamaganda Boys Demonstration School, completing the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in 1987, then Masaka SSS and Nakyenyi SSS where he sat his Senior Four final examination and Senior Six exams in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
Mpuuga joined Makerere University in 2009 to study a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and later in 2016, he again joined Makerere University for Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree.
Currently a Leader of Opposition, and Member of Parliament representing Nyendo-Mukungwe division in the 11th Parliament under the National Unity Platform Party.
He started his political career at Makerere University as a member of Uganda Youth Democratic (UYD) in 2009, and later joined active politics, where he defeated the Democratic Party’s Hon. Kawanga to become Masaka Municipality MP in the 2011 general election.
He was among the founders of the famous Action for Change (A4C) that birthed the Walk to Work protests in Masaka following an allegation of election fraud on Forum For Democratic Change (FDC)’s Kiiza Besigye.
The A4C movement was renamed For God and My Country (4GC) in 2012.
Later on in 2016, Mpuuga ditched his 4GC fellow, Kiiza Besigye for National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s Patrick Amama Mbabazi who contested for the presidency during the same period.
Along with other members of Parliament in the Democratic Party, he left following a bitter row with Norbert Mao, the party president general, and joined Bobi Wine’s People Power Movement. He was later named Buganda region coordinator, and deputy president of the National Unity Platform, central region.
