KAMPALA – The National Unity Platform (NUP) is grappling with a significant internal crisis following a deeply flawed process to select its flag bearers for upcoming local government elections, a situation that has reportedly left party president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, “very stressed.”
According to credible sources, the chaotic allocation of party tickets for positions including councillor, mayor, and LC5/LC3 chairpersons within the crucial Kampala Metropolitan Area has severely damaged the party’s public image. The errors are so widespread that in some instances, flag bearers were allocated to electoral areas that do not exist, while other individuals were nominated for positions they never expressed interest in contesting.
Faced with mounting public criticism and internal dissent, Bobi Wine has been forced to intervene directly. Reports indicate that yesterday, he reached out to Ms. Mercy Walukamba, the former Chairperson of the party’s Electoral Management Committee (EMC), seeking her urgent advice on how to rectify the situation.
Walukamba, who successfully oversaw the complex candidate selection process for the 2021 general elections, has been asked to recall some of the volunteers she previously worked with to help “sort out the mess” created by the current electoral officials.
The move is seen as a clear indication of the leadership’s dissatisfaction with the team entrusted to manage the process. This crisis has sparked credible fears within the party that the contradictions and grievances stemming from the ticket allocation are likely to escalate in the coming days, weeks, and months, potentially undermining party cohesion.
The situation has prompted an emergency response from the top echelons of the party. Ritah Kaggwa Blog has learned that Bobi Wine’s engagement with Walukamba was in preparation for a high-stakes crisis meeting with the current NUP Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, and the chairperson of the NUP’s EMC.
The outcome of this meeting is highly anticipated, as the party leadership races against time to clean the candidate list, restore credibility to its internal processes, and present a united front to its supporters and the electorate.
