The National Unity Platform (NUP) unveiled their new headquarters in Kavule-Makerere on November 4, 2023. They acknowledged that without the government funds they received, they wouldn’t have been able to realize their dream of a new home.
According to Lewis Rubongoya, the party’s secretary general, they didn’t conduct any fundraising. The money they managed to raise came from the government’s allocation to political parties.
“Our budget was 4 billion Ugandan shillings, but we only used 10% of that amount. We decided to renovate an existing building using the funds provided by the government and our colleagues in parliament,” Rubongoya explained.
He added that the initial architectural design required 4.4 billion Ugandan shillings, which they received as a government allocation. Instead of starting from scratch, they chose to renovate existing structures.
Rubongoya stated, “I don’t think we need to explain the change in the design. It should be clear to those who are asking why the unveiled building is different from the original plan.”
However, some sources express the need for more transparency from NUP regarding the use of acquired funds. They argue that the unveiled building differs significantly from the documented architectural plan.
“The presentation of a different plan during the unveiling, and the final structure being different from what was on paper, raises questions about the 4.4 billion Ugandan shillings that were allocated. What happened to that money?” questioned the sources.
According to a banking source, Bobi Wine has 5 billion Ugandan shillings in his personal accounts, which comes from donations intended for party activities. Most of his funding comes from individuals in the diaspora.
The source revealed, “Bobi Wine receives around 500 million Ugandan shillings every month in his personal account. He transfers 200 million Ugandan shillings to the party’s account and keeps the rest.”
“NUP showcased a different architectural design from what was initially planned. The estimated cost for the original design was 4.4 billion Ugandan shillings, but only 400 million Ugandan shillings were used. What happened to the remaining money?” questioned the sources.
Nickolas Wabwire, one of the workers at the newly unveiled structure, expressed confusion about the source of the funds. He wondered whether the parliament, which is part of the government they claim to be fighting, provided the money.
“Does this mean that NUP is actually part of the government and they are just playing games to obtain money for themselves? The way they handle their funds is interesting. Bobi Wine’s wife, Barbie, manages the party’s finances. If she doesn’t receive the funds, no payments are made.” said Wabwire.
According to NUP, the original architectural design was estimated to cost 4.4 billion Ugandan shillings, but only 400 million Ugandan shillings were used. It can be inferred that the remaining money received from the diaspora goes to personal accounts rather than the party’s.