The magnitude of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party missing its principal, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who fled into exile early this year, came to the fore last week when the party was sending off one of its foot soldiers, Paul Musoke, who died as a result of the burns he sustained from what is suspected to be an arson attack.
When Musoke’s remains were taken to the party’s headquarters on August 30, a foot soldier known as Jamushid Kavuma pointed out that, of the 47 legislators NUP has in Parliament, only George Musisi, the Kira Municipality legislator, showed up to honour Musoke. Kavuma claimed that if Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, had been around, the party’s headquarters would have been a beehive of activity.
Kavuma claimed that the no-show of many of NUP’s elected leaders is an indication that the NUP politicians ‘use’ foot soldiers to get what they want and then dumb them.
‘If our president, his excellency Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was around, they would be all over the place here at the headquarters. They would be running up and down such that they can be seen by the president. The entire parking [of the NUP headquarters] would be full, but where are they now?’ Kavuma asked.
Where is the love?
Another foot soldier, whose name Weekly Politics couldn’t identify, pointed out that, in the NUP leadership structure, only David Lewis Rubongoya, the party’s secretary general, and Jacklyn Jolly Tukamushaba, the party’s deputy president for the Western Region, were present.
‘It’s as if the foot soldiers are forcing a relationship with their leaders. How can a fighter die and then not even a councillor shows up during the send-off at the party’s headquarters?’ the foot soldier asked.
Yasin Ssekitoleko, another foot soldier popularly known as Machete, called for a meeting of minds among the warring parties.
‘How are we going to remove the regime yet we don’t agree among ourselves? We need to accept that we all have weaknesses and strengths. That’s the only way we can move forward,’ Ssekitoleko, who was incarcerated for six years without trial, said.
A NUP legislator, who didn’t show up but spoke to Weekly Politics on condition of anonymity, said the foot soldiers were now ‘blackmailing’ elected politicians.
‘They [foot soldiers] normally get a lot of money from elected leaders when they show up at the party headquarters. Now that the election period is over, the elected leaders don’t go to the party’s headquarters because there are no activities there,’ the legislator said.
Another NUP legislator who also preferred anonymity said they are still struggling after the 2026 electioneering period ran its course.
‘Some of the legislators have election petitions. There is still fear at the headquarters that at any point the military will carry out a raid on the offices, as they have done before. So, it is not that the foot soldiers have been abandoned,’ he said.
Nevertheless, the foot soldiers, who normally sport red berets and red overalls, are currently not on good terms with their elected leaders. One of the NUP elected leaders who has fallen out with the foot soldiers is Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo.
In June, Balimwezo courted controversy when he said he wouldn’t allow dreadlocked foot soldiers into his office at City Hall. Claiming that the election period was over, Balimwezo instructed the security detail at City Hall to restrict access for unruly or shabby foot soldiers. The Kampala Lord Mayor further reasoned that the time for aggressive politics is over and his focus is professional service delivery for Kampala residents.
‘You owe us one’
In a meltdown, Balimwezo warned foot soldiers to halt attacks, insults, and harassment directed at elected leaders, noting that violators would face the wrath of the law.
‘You should respect your leaders because if you don’t respect them, it also means you don’t respect the voters who voted for them. If you insult me, I will just instruct the police to arrest you,’ Balimwezo said.
The foot soldiers were quick to remind Balimwezo that if it wasn’t for their efforts, there was no way he was going to end Erias Lukwago’s 15-year reign as Kampala’s Lord Mayor. Foot soldiers are of the view that Balimwezo was not as famous as Lukwago, so they had to do a lot of heavy lifting for him to emerge victorious.
‘We worked hard to ensure he [Balimwezo] gets into office, but now he claims that we are dirty. That’s how these elected leaders behave once they are elected into office. They immediately forget about us the downtrodden,’ one foot soldier told this writer.
Foot soldiers feel they have felt the brunt of the dark arts of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and security agencies. Currently, foot soldiers such as Edward Ssebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe; Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro; Olivia Lutaaya; Achileo Kivumbi; Sauda Madaada; Tasi Calvin, alias Bobi Giant; Edwin Serunkuuma, alias Eddie King Kabenja; Sharif Lukenge; Yasin Nyanzi; and Tonny Kaweesi have been incarcerated since last year. This was after being accused of what the State calls unlawful military drills in contravention of Section 45(1)(b) of the Penal Code Act.
Under the Penal Code, which is a relic from the colonial era, an unauthorised meeting intended for military training or drilling is a felony. Though the case hasn’t taken the limelight, the stakes are high because Section 45(1)(b) says those found guilty of being present at any assembly could be imprisoned for up to seven years. Those convicted of organising the assembly also could possibly serve a term not exceeding five years, while those who are convicted of attending to be trained, or being trained, risk being jailed for five years.
Several other foot soldiers like Denis Mukiibi and Anthony Agaba have been incarcerated without trial for over seven months.
‘For no crime whatsoever, except belonging to an Opposition party and daring to dream that Uganda deserves better,’ Rubongoya said of their fate.
Devoid of vibrancy
On his part, Kyagulanyi, who is now in exile in the United States, eulogised Musoke, describing him as ‘a young patriot’, ‘a committed foot soldier’ and ‘a disciplined youth leader who went through the NUP’s school of leadership.’
‘Paul’s house was attacked. Its door was closed from the outside before being set on fire. He sustained severe injuries before being rushed to hospital by the neighbours. Despite every effort, Paul did not make it,’ he said.
‘Yesterday evening, he passed on at only 27 years of age. Such a tragic loss. Paul joins our countless comrades and supporters who have died under the most painful, brutal circumstances. In almost all cases, perpetrators of these crimes are never brought to book. Paul deserves justice,’ he said.
Though many NUP leaders showed up when Musoke was laid to rest in Bwerenga, Busiro South, Wakiso District, the key question remains: how the party remains vibrant in the absence of Kyagulanyi. When Kyagulanyi went into exile following the contested January presidential elections, he temporarily handed over the stewardship of the party to Lina Zedriga Waru, NUP’s deputy president for Northern Uganda. There was a clear reduction in vibrancy at the party’s headquarters when Zedriga was in charge, before she too reportedly went into exile.
It is alleged that Zedriga fled after she was put under relentless security observation since her release from prison. This followed her arrest during the 2026 General Election.
After Zedriga, Kyagulanyi appointed Manjiya legislator John Baptist Nambeshe to step in for him. But still the party has struggled for vibrancy, and this, according to political commentators, was evidenced during the recent Kalangala by-elections in which NRM’s Idah Nabayiga controversially defeated NUP’s Irene Nampala.
‘The party needs Kyagulanyi in Kampala, not in exile. Without Kyagulanyi, it struggles for traction. Parties in Uganda are built on personalities. That’s why NUP’s headquarters are no longer vibrant,’ Mr Yusuf Serunkuma, a political analyst, explained.
Rubongoya insists the party is still vibrant despite Bobi Wine’s absence. ‘We are working in very hard circumstances. Our supporters are being held incommunicado. So, the regime is making sure we are distracted, but we still have a functioning political party.’