The National Unity Platform (NUP) on Wednesday officially received seven Members of Parliament who defected from other political parties during a high-profile event held at its headquarters in Makerere Kavule, Kampala.
The ceremony, attended by party leaders from across Uganda, highlighted NUP’s rising political influence as it gears up for the 2026 general elections.
Among the defectors were Dr. Timothy Batuwa (Jinja South West) and David Isabirye Aga (Jinja North), both formerly affiliated with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). Also joining the NUP ranks were Fortunate Nantongo (Kyotera District Woman MP), John Paul Mpalanyi (Kyotera County), and Lutamaguzi Ssemakula (Nakaseke South), all of whom were previously elected on the Democratic Party (DP) ticket.
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They were accompanied by Joan Namutaawe, the woman MP for Masaka District, and Patrick Nsanja (Ntenjeru South), who had been serving as an independent.
The event also saw former NBS Amassengejje news anchor Zambali Bulasio officially join NUP, announcing his intention to run for office in Nansana Municipality.
Numerous local leaders from sub-county and municipal levels also pledged allegiance to NUP during the gathering.
Security was heavily deployed around the party headquarters, with personnel from various security agencies maintaining a strong presence throughout the day. While officials said this was a precaution to avoid any disturbances, it also highlighted ongoing government scrutiny of the opposition party’s activities.
NUP was originally registered in 2004 as the National Unity, Reconciliation, and Development Party (NURP) but remained obscure until July 2020, when Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, merged his People Power movement with the party.
A musician-turned-politician, Kyagulanyi rebranded it as the National Unity Platform and quickly turned it into a formidable opposition force ahead of the 2021 elections.
In those elections, NUP won 56 parliamentary seats, overtaking the FDC to become the leading opposition party in Parliament. The party’s message—centering on change, justice, and democratic reform—struck a chord particularly among the youth and urban voters, especially in central Uganda.
Since then, NUP has steadily expanded its base, attracting defectors from other opposition groups and independent MPs. The latest wave of defections reflects deeper shifts within Uganda’s political landscape, with some legislators citing internal conflicts and lack of clear vision in their former parties.
Wednesday’s event also gave NUP leaders an opportunity to renew calls for the release of detained supporters, reaffirming the issue as a central theme of their political platform.
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