HEADLINE: House Arrest or Political Theatre? Entebbe NUP Candidate’s Detention Sparks Internal Rivalry Claims
BYLINE: Drake Zapmedia
DATELINE: ENTEBBE | January 20, 2026
ENTEBBE – The reported house arrest of a National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate in Entebbe Division B has ignited a firestorm of speculation, with critics alleging the incident is less about state suppression and more about a deepening internal party rift.
Mugabi John Socrates, the NUP hopeful for LC3 Chairperson of Division B, claims masked soldiers surrounded his Lugonjo Zone residence around 10:00 PM on January 19. His allies assert the move was intended to thwart a planned youth procession celebrating a court victory for market vendors in the Kitooro Taxi Park lockup allocation case.
However, the political narrative is clouded by a stark inconsistency: why is Mugabi’s fellow NUP comrade, the incumbent Division B Chairman and mayoral aspirant Richard Ssekyondo, reportedly free from any such state harassment?
“This looks like a well-choreographed stage performance for sympathy votes,” a Kitooro market vendor, who requested anonymity, told Zapmedia. “If Ssekyondo is safe and untouched—the sitting Chairman and a candidate himself—how does the math work? Is the army selective, or is this just Mugabi trying to outshine his rival?”
The question cuts to the heart of a bitter internal NUP conflict, with the Kitooro lockup scandal at its center. The recent court ruling, which found the Entebbe Municipal Council’s allocation process unfair, has become a political football. Mugabi has positioned himself as the vendors’ champion, while his party rival, Ssekyondo—a former Democratic Party member who defected to NUP—is widely implicated in the controversial allocations he now condemns.
This has created a “marriage of convenience” within the party that is now publicly fracturing. Analysts suggest Mugabi’s dramatic house arrest story may be a calculated attempt to distance himself from the scandal and paint Ssekyondo as part of the corrupt establishment.
“The core conflict is no longer just about positions; it’s about who can run fastest from the Kitooro mess,” a local political observer noted. “By invoking a military siege, Mugabi shifts the spotlight onto an external enemy, diverting attention from the battle within his own house.”
As the 2026 elections approach, the drama in Entebbe Division B raises pressing questions. Whether the detention was a genuine state action or a tactical political maneuver, the escalating collision between Mugabi Socrates and Richard Ssekyondo is emerging as the true battleground, threatening party unity and confusing a disillusioned electorate.
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