NUP councilors deny allegations of meeting Museveni in Garuga

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) councilors in Kampala district have denied attempts to participate in a leadership training purportedly organized by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Garuga. Councilors representing Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa, Rubaga, and Central divisions, said this during a press briefing at the party headquarters where they had convened to address the media and clarify the alleged meeting.

Over the past three days, various lists have been circulating on social media claiming that a section of NUP councilors had secretly decided to meet the ruling National Resistance Movement leader to discuss plans of defecting to the NRM. However, one by one, councilors who addressed the media in Kavule said that they had never met President Museveni and harbored no intentions of deviating from their longstanding commitment to oust the current regime.

Fred Nyanzi, the Head of Mobilization at NUP, speaking to journalists, dismissed the circulating propaganda as indicative of efforts to undermine their party. He noted that despite NRM’s reputation for attempting to disrupt young opposition parties, such efforts had failed to impact NUP.

Nyanzi further acknowledged that while there might be NUP members clandestinely meeting President Museveni, he commended the NUP Councilors for publicly refuting the allegations. He vowed that the party would not yield Kampala to the NRM.

It should be noted that the NUP won 41 out of 44 seats for directly elected and female councilors in the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) during the 2021 general elections. Results indicated that NUP won 11 posts in Makindye, 9 in Nakawa, 10 in Lubaga, 3 in Kampala Central, and 8 in Kawempe Division.

Meanwhile, this is not the first instance where the NUP has clashed with the NRM over purported attempts by NUP councilors to engage with President Museveni. In 2022, NUP councilors in the Luwero district declined an invitation to attend a leadership training organized by President Museveni.

The proposed 14-day training at Garuga Resort Beach Hotel in Entebbe was set to be concluded by Museveni himself. However, NUP councilors unanimously rejected the invitation, expressing concerns about potential compromise.

Furthermore, last year, NUP cautioned its local government leaders, including LCV Chairpersons, City and Municipal Mayors, Division Mayors, LC III Chairpersons, and selected speakers, against participating in a one-week transformational leadership course at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, which was closed by President Yoweri Museveni.

Emmanuel Sserunjogi, Chairman of the NUP Local Government Caucus, stated that they were conducting investigations to identify any party members who might have defied the party’s directive and attended the retreat.

*******

URN