The leader of the opposition National Unity Platform Party, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, is still shocked after the majority of his own Members of Parliament and key leaders boycotted the ongoing mobilization tour of Western Uganda.
On Monday, July 15, 2024, Bobi Wine and a few NUP leaders, including the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, MP Joel Ssenyonyi, and Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya, kicked off the tour from Bundibugyo district with only one MP out of the 55 in the trail.
Some of the notable NUP MPs who had previously been vocal about the affairs of Bobi Wine include Zaake of Mityana, Derick Nyeko of Makindye, Betty Nambooze of Mukono, and Hajji Mulyanyama, among others.
The Western Uganda NUP Vice President, Jolly Mugisha, reportedly boycotted Bobi Wine’s tour, citing a lack of transparency and accountability for funds received from donors.
Mugisha reportedly shunned the tour, claiming an unfriendly reception from local people due to NUP’s support for homosexuality.
While in Bundibugyo town, NUP’s officials were treated to a cold reception as ordinary people continued with their normal trade activities, save for a few mobilized and paid-up boda boda riders and town dwellers who joined Bobi Wine as he opened party offices in Bundibugyo.
Franklin Muhindo, the Bundibugyo district NUP coordinator, said that the western region remains a challenge for NUP as most people are always busy in their gardens and businesses and can’t easily be convinced to attend rallies.
“Here we grow cocoa, and most people are busy on their plantations taking care of their cocoa. Now that the cocoa prices are high, it’s hard to get people to follow you around at this time of the season,” Muhindo said.
Muhindo also blamed the lack of NUP-elected leaders in the region on the low turnout of supporters and says it will remain a challenge even in other districts.
“As NUP, we don’t have any NUP elected leaders at the parliamentary level, district level, or lower local council level, and this applies to many districts in the region. This means that mobilizing locally becomes hard and remains a big challenge for the NUP,” Muhindo added.
The NUP party leaders will head to Ishaka, Bushenyi, for day two of their tour on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, and thereafter proceed to Ntungamo, Rukungiri, and Isingiro districts.
