The opposition National Unity Platform Party (NUP has appointed two senior foreign diplomats in Uganda as their new signatories.
A source at the NUP’s headquarters has confirmed the appointment of the British High Commissioner to Uganda, Kate Airey, and the United States Ambassador to Uganda, Amb. William W. Popp, as the latest signatories.
Their appointment was approved during the recent high-level NUP’s meeting chaired by the party president, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
The move has since sparked a bitter reaction from a section of party stalwarts, raising serious questions about the grip the international diplomats have on party affairs.
On June 15, 2024, the newly appointed NUP signatories jointly authored a bitter dossier to the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) demanding immediate sanction against the President of the Federation of Uganda Football Association, Eng. Moses Magogo.
In a letter in which Envoys Kate (UK) and Amb. William (US) both signed with Nicholas Opio, a local human rights activist, and Robert Kyagulanyi, the leader of NUP, they want FIFA to ban Magogo from engaging in all current and future football activities under FIFA’s jurisdiction.
They also asked FIFA to deny him entry into the US to watch the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
MP Dr. Abed Bwanika, of Kimaanya Kabonera, Masaka City, also a NUP party stalwart, questioned the circumstances under which the UK and US diplomats were appointed signatories.
Dr. Bwanika wondered which law allows foreign diplomats to append their signatures to documents of a local political party that is run by purely Ugandans.
“As we all know, non-Ugandans are not allowed to hold office in any political office or organization, and parties are also restricted from receiving contributions from foreign sources according to the political parties and organizations ACT-2005. Now we have our own NUP Party with official documents being signed by foreign diplomats as Ugandans. What does that tell you?” Bwanika said.
Bwanika expressed concern about why foreign diplomats are involving themselves in local political affairs, describing it as a clear violation of diplomatic norms and asked the government to condemn the act.
“We have always said that Bobi Wine is a supporter of homosexuality and has been receiving funding from these foreign entities; you all claimed it was witch hunting, so now that these foreigners are running NUP, what do we expect with their activists who have been hiding behind human rights to advance the white man’s beliefs on Ugandans?” Bwanika added.
Since the anti-homosexuality Bill ACT 2023 was passed into law, the US and the United Kingdom have since imposed sanctions on some officials in Uganda with the World Bank suspending funding for many projects.
