The top leadership of the National Unity Platform has in the last days come under scrutiny and attack by its own supporters, including foot soldiers both in print media and social media, for abandoning the struggle to remove the dictator and resorting to achieving wealth and living lavishly among others.
This comes at a time when, in less than a year, almost all members of the top leadership have acquired multimillion-dollar houses abroad, staged billionaires’-like parties, including engagements and weddings, and thrown lavish parties.
NUP supporters have since questioned why leaders are doing this at the expense of what they termed the oppressed Ugandans they claim to represent.
“It is sad to see some NUP members of parliament still in prison while our top leaders are on holiday in the Seychelles enjoying time with their families when they haven’t even thought of helping out the families of the incarcerated MPs,” said Aiden Kalisa, one of Bobi Wine’s foot soldiers and a Twitter diehard.Â
Just in the last six months, MP Zaake Francis of Mityana Municipality introduced and married his fiancé in a lavish wedding.
After MP Zaake, we saw the NUP deputy spokesperson introduce and wed his wife in a very high-end wedding that attracted top opposition leaders.
In the same year, we saw NUP Busoga region mobilizer Moses Bigirwa also wed in a very colourful ceremony.
The Kasanda woman, MP Flavia Kalule Nabugabe, also introduced her longtime fiance at a function that mesmerised residents along the Kampala-Mubende road. Onlookers were thrilled by the convoy of dignitaries and guests going to attend the traditional marriage ceremony of MP Flavia in Kasanda.
MP Derick Nyeko of Makindye East was not spared by the lavish wedding syndrome, as he took it a notch higher by doing a very classic on-camera marriage proposal, and then a week later he was introduced by his fiancé. He wed in one of the most trending weddings on social media. If only he could also put as much effort into representing his people in Makindye Division as he put into his extravagant wedding.
The Complaints
Even when the hardened NUP supporters are very happy for their leaders, their grievances come from the selfishness of the top leadership to abandon the struggle for their own gains.
One of the NUP Twitter warriors and also a personal friend of Bobiwine known as Aiden Kalisa tweeted, “Naye nga Emikolo nembaga byo bisuse!” meaning that functions and weddings within the NUP family have become so many.
In the letter written by Aiden Kaliisa during the weekend questioning the extravagance of NUP top leaders, it was replied to with arrogance by one of the top party leaders, who asked Aiden what he thinks he is.
In response, Aiden posted his party card confirming his membership, which makes him entitled to ask some questions and expect answers and not insults from his leaders.
In his response, Jeremiah Keeya Mwanje, who is the NUP head of electoral commission and also a top senior member of the party, also replied to the tweet in affirmation that it was true and that he also saw that the celebrations and jubilations were becoming too much.
One well-known mouthpiece for Bobi Wine on Twitter, @Kall_essy, tweeted that “they have sought asylum for their children and close friends in western countries, leaving the activists and foot soldiers languishing in prisons.”
In the different conversations online, the disgruntled NUP supporters accuse the top leadership of being silent about the local man’s cause and advocacy for a better Uganda and of having now become self-seeking individuals who are in big positions of power just to enrich themselves rather than caring about the plight of Ugandans.
The accusations come from many events where we have seen the top leadership convening at Busabala Beach, which belongs to NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi, and they are always seen partying and dining as the chosen few of the top NUP leadership.
The supporters have also on many occasions complained about the lavish and expensive lifestyle of NUP President Bobi Wine, who can afford to take his whole family and close friends on holiday in Europe and the Caribbean while the locals that he is purporting to support are struggling.
Also, NUP spokesperson MP Joel Ssenyonyi, whom colleagues say is finishing up his condominiums in Naalya Estates and Jomayi apartments in Nsasa Kiira, has been accused of being money-minded and a self-centred MP by fellow colleagues after they got to know that he was given a hefty amount by troubled government officials.
