In a shocking turn of events, the National Unity Platform (NUP) has announced its decision to remove Mathias Mpuuga from the position of Vice President for Buganda. This decision comes amidst growing controversy within the party, particularly stemming from Mpuuga’s clash with Fred Nyanzi, the party’s national mobilizer and brother of NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi.
The deepening rift between Mpuuga and the NUP leadership has been attributed to their differing approaches towards regime change. Mpuuga and his DP faction within the NUP have been accused of challenging the authority of the party president by rejecting his pro-violence strategy. Additionally, they have allegedly undermined him, dismissing him as an inexperienced politician.
Sources close to the matter have revealed that Florence Namayanja, the current chairperson of NUP in Masaka, is being considered as Mpuuga’s replacement. This move is seen as an attempt to purge DP bloc members from the party and solidify the party’s structure.
Furthermore, NUP is planning to withdraw its support for both Mpuuga and back Alice Nannungi, who were set to contest in the 2026 parliamentary elections under the party’s ticket for the Mukungwe-Nyendo constituency.
It has come to light that Nannungi had expressed her intention to challenge Mpuuga in the NUP primaries for the constituency. Now, she is reportedly utilizing the Kunga Uganda platform to mobilize support for her campaign. This development prompted Mpuuga to suspend the Kunga campaigns in the Masaka Subregion. However, Fred Nyanzi, staunchly defending the campaign, lifted the ban, asserting that it was not an attempt to undermine Mpuuga but rather a means to rally support for the party.
While Nyanzi downplays the Kunga Uganda campaign’s implications, Mpuuga’s camp strongly disagrees. They claim that party mobilizers associated with Kunga Uganda have been using social media platforms to denigrate Mpuuga while actively promoting his opponents.
The internal challenges within NUP caused by the Kunga drive have greatly divided the party’s stronghold in Buganda. This division has created an opportune moment for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to potentially gain dominance in the region during the upcoming 2026 general elections.
The removal of Mpuuga as Vice President for Buganda, along with the party’s withdrawal of support for him and Nannungi, signifies a critical moment in NUP’s internal power struggle. As the party navigates these turbulent waters, political analysts eagerly wait to see how this controversy will shape NUP’s future and the wider political landscape in Uganda.
