The National Unity Platform, Uganda’s largest opposition party, is once again under fire for how it chooses its parliamentary flag bearers. Allegations of favoritism, weak transparency and bias have followed the party’s latest vetting exercise, held in September at its headquarters in Kampala.
One of the critics is Kibirige Kassim, an aspiring candidate for Nakawa East. Kassim lost the ticket to Waiswa Mufumbiro, the party’s deputy spokesperson, and now accuses the process of sidelining grassroots voices.
He said the Elections Management Committee (EMC), which oversees the selections, has not been open with its decisions. “Some candidates allegedly receive preferential treatment due to their connections with top party officials,” Kassim told reporters.
Kassim also questioned how consistently the rules are applied, pointing to what he sees as glaring irregularities. In Nakawa East, he claimed, “there was a candidate vetted for LC3 Councillor to represent Mutungo zone 4 and 5 and was taken to Luzira prisons area.” Another aspirant, he said, “was found very weak in the area by his bad behaviours in the community… and was favoured a flag to represent Aswa county in Gulu.”
He alleged further that a former LC5 flag bearer, instead of competing again in his original constituency, was handed the Nakawa institutions card. At the mayoral level, he claimed, “a close friend to the party president secured his card to come after his wife being the deputy mayor of the strong incumbent who didn’t get the flag.”
Despite his disappointment, Kassim said he is not ready to walk away from politics. “I’m still weighing my options and listening to the people,” he explained. “Their support means a lot, and I’m committed to serving our community. Whether I run as an independent candidate or with another opposition political party, my focus remains on addressing daily challenges we face and working towards a better future for Nakawa East for all of us.”
His frustration is not isolated. The release of NUP’s parliamentary flag bearers has sparked wider unease, with several sitting MPs and prominent aspirants dropped. Some have already declared they will run as independents.
Party leaders have pushed back against claims of favoritism. Harriet Chemutai, who chairs the EMC, has said the committee’s work is guided by local support and the appeal of candidates on the ground.
NUP’s president, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu — better known as Bobi Wine — had earlier cautioned party members against “favouritism and undue influence” as the process began. “We want credible leaders, without influence, segregation, religion, and exploitation, where some aspirants may claim to have connections to the NUP top leadership,” he said.
The outcome has sharpened debates over how Uganda’s opposition organizes itself internally, especially around grassroots participation and the role of party structures in decision-making. For NUP, which has grown rapidly since its founding in 2019, the pressure is mounting to show its selection process is not only competitive but also credible.
