National Unity Platform (NUP) Vice Chairperson for Buganda Region, Muwanga Kivumbi, appeared unsettled during a party meeting this week after Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) Joel Ssenyonyi openly ridiculed Medard Ssegona for losing the party parliamentary flag.
The discomfort came as NUP unveiled a list of successful candidates on its official social media platforms, leaving out several senior legislators in favor of lesser-known contenders.
While addressing the successful candidates from the Central Region at the party headquarters in Kamwokya, Ssenyonyi celebrated the changes, insisting that dropping seasoned MPs was a necessary step.
“They should not threaten you that you are new comers. They said the same to me when I became LOP, but I still performed,” Ssenyonyi remarked.
He went on to cite phrases used on social media to mock Ssegona, including the now popular Luganda saying “eyababba nange yeyanziba”—loosely translated as “we were robbed by the same person.”
Ssenyonyi’s remarks sparked mixed reactions in the meeting. While some applauded him for embracing a new brand of politics that challenges the old order, others felt it was disrespectful, especially coming from a figure in a senior leadership role.
Sources say Kivumbi, who has been a key player in deciding NUP flag bearers in the central region, was visibly uncomfortable with the jabs at Ssegona.
Though he appeared to laugh along, insiders reveal he was embarrassed and felt undermined.
Political analysts note that Kivumbi’s strained reaction could signal deeper cracks within the party’s top leadership.
He has in the past clashed with the party over leadership positions, particularly after missing out on becoming LOP, a role later given to Ssenyonyi.
Some NUP supporters warned that if senior leaders like Kivumbi continue to feel sidelined, they too could face political “changes” in future.
Others argue that the party must move away from politics of loyalty to personalities and instead focus on consolidating its power base.
The unfolding drama highlights the growing tension between NUP’s emerging leadership and seasoned legislators who once bankrolled and shaped the party’s rise.
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