The leaders of Uganda’s opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party, in a dramatic turn of events, have decided to boycott the upcoming Thanksgiving event organized by the Nyendo-Masaka MP, Mathias Mpuuga, scheduled for June 21, 2024, in Masaka city.
According to the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, Mpuuga, who was suspended as the NUP’s Deputy President for the Central Region in March, has no authority or power to host a Thanksgiving event, given the fact that he is no longer a recognized member of the NUP.
“It is difficult for our leaders to attend this event; Mpuuga no longer represents the party’s interests in the Buganda region, nor does he represent the party on the parliamentary commission. So, we cannot in good conscience participate in his celebration, and his invitations are illegal; we urge our members not to attend,” Ssenyonyi said.
Joyce Bagala Ntwatwa, the Mityana Woman Member of Parliament, said that, as far as she is concerned, Mpuuga is still a full member of NUP and has the right to hold a Thanksgiving and invite anyone he so pleases.
“There is nothing like Mpuuga and Kyagulanyi; the honorable Robert Kyagulanyi is our president, and Mpuuga is a full member of NUP. We are going to have mass at Kitovu Sports Arena, and the Archbishop of Kampala will lead the mass, and Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga will be the guest of honor,” Bagala said.
She further urged all those assigned responsibilities in relation to the Thanksgiving event to go ahead and organize massively and come in big numbers to support Mpuuga.
However, according to sources, Ssenyonyi has been secretly persuading MPs not to attend, and those who had been allocated positions like Brenda Nabukenya, the Woman Member of Parliament for Luwero, were given Ugx 5 million to shun the Thanksgiving.
“We know for a fact that Nabukenya, who had been allocated the position of Women Mobilizer, turned around and claimed that she was included on the organizing committee without her consent, and I am sure you have all heard Ssenyonyi mentioning her name when asked about those going,” the sources said.
Dr. Sarah Nansubuga, a political pundit, stated that this is a clear indication of the internal divisions within the NUP; the party leadership is clearly unwilling to lend its support to Mpuuga, signaling a deepening rift that could have far-reaching consequences.
She said that with the NUP leaders opting to sit out the Masaka celebration, the event is poised to become a platform for Mpuuga to assert his independence and rally his supporters. However, the absence of the party’s top brass will undoubtedly cast a shadow over the proceedings, leaving observers to wonder about the future of this political alliance.
The rift between Mpuuga and the NUP leadership has been simmering for months, with the party accusing the Nyendo-Masaka MP of undermining their agenda. The suspension in March was seen as a bold move to rein in the influential politician and assert the party’s authority. As the Thanksgiving event approaches, the stage is set for a showdown between Mpuuga and his former NUP allies.
