The National Unity Platform (NUP) party Members of Parliament have distanced themselves from the current Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as the Bobi Wine’s national mobilization tour, but instead demanded to be given a portion of the funds from the diaspora received by the party’s Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, on behalf of the party.
The MPs decision to shun the national mobilization tours stems from allegations that funds from the Diaspora were channeled to Rubongoya for mobilization tours and have gone missing from the party coffers to an unknown account.
According to Michael Kakembo, the Member of Parliament for Entebbe Municipality, his colleagues see no need to follow the principal around with empty pockets and spend their own money, yet someone in the party is withholding funds for his own up-coming campaigns.
“The MPs have voiced their dissatisfaction, demanding a share of the funds raised from the Ugandan diaspora that was advanced towards the party for countrywide mobilizations,” Kakembo said.
Kakembo, while having a bottle of beer at Horizon Hotel in Entebbe with his friends, explained that no MP in his right mind will continue following Bobi Wine around with empty pockets, and yet Rubongoya has withheld funds for his own campaigns as MP Kampala.
“You know people think he is coming for the mayoral seat of Kampala; Bobi Wine could not let anyone cross his brother Fred Nyanzi for the mayoral seat, so he convinced Rubongoya to go for MP Kampala, and he needs money for the campaigns, so he is tampering with resources meant for the party,” Kakembo added.
Sources indicated that indeed the NUP MPs put their threats to good use because, as seen with Kamuli, only three MPs, that is Timothy Batuwa of Jinja City West Division (FDC), NUP’s Manjeri Tibetika, the Jinja City Woman MP, and Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, followed him.
“It got worse when they got to Abim; no single MP was present; they completely abandoned him; he was left in the company of his brother Nyanzi, Rubongoya, and vice president Lina Zedringa; no MP showed up,” the sources said.
The mobilization tour, which aimed at rallying support for the party and its agenda, is already faced with unexpected challenges as several MPs have criticized the leadership for their selfish acts.
The dissenting MPs argue that the party should allocate a portion of the diaspora funds to support local initiatives and party activities instead of being controlled and enjoyed by a few people in the party.
Patrick Wakida, a political analyst, suggests that this internal conflict could have significant implications for the party’s future.
“The demands for diaspora funds highlight underlying tensions regarding resource distribution and leadership dynamics within the NUP,” Wakida noted.
The NUP leadership seems to have the same financial character of withholding funds meant to be dispatched to the concerned group. A case in point is the recent youth symposium that was held in Jinja, where Francis Zaake vanished with the accommodation and transport refund of the youth that had been invited. Despite making several calls, Zaake didn’t pick up his phone. When they reached out to Rubongoya, he wasn’t of help but instead gave them excuses and lamentations.
As to whether Bobi Wine will bow to the MPs’ pressure and direct Rubongoya to share the funds, time will tell and whether this division will impact the overall effectiveness of the mobilization tour.