Exclusively speaking to TV10GanoMazima, Human Rights lawyer George Musisi confirmed his readiness to oust Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament (MP) Betty Nambooze Bakireke.
In a short interview, the soft spoken Musisi noted that the three terms Nambooze has been MP are enough for her and she should gracefully retire in 2026 to give other people a chance to serve the people of Mukono.
Highly placed sources at Magere the home of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) have told TV10GanoMazima that their principal received Musisi’s news to contest against Nambooze with open hands because he has been quietly looking for a suitable replacement.
Sources said that a section of NUP leadership in Mukono met Bobi Wine in late 2023 and sold to him a proposal of recruiting former Mukono South legislator Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga into NUP and thereafter give him the party ticket to contest against Nambooze.
Since early 2023, Mukono NUP leadership and Ssenyonga have been in talks but Ssenyonga, who is deeply rooted in NRM has been evasive on joining NUP.
In one of the meetings, he even told members present that he is still the flag bearer for NRM for Mukono South and chances are high that he is going to win the 2026 parliamentary seat there.
“He fears that Museveni will order all government machinery to crush him if he makes a decision to join NUP. The principal is also not convinced that Ssenyonga will be loyal to him and the party if trusted with support to oust Nambooze,” a source said.
Robert Peter Kabanda the Mukono Municipality NUP chairperson has been holding meetings with NUP leadership in Mukono to make sure that Nambooze’s political career is officially buried in 2026 if she decides to contest.
Kabanda and other NUP leaders in Mukono like; Peter Bakaluba Mukasa the district chairperson and councilors at all levels are very happy with Musisi’s declaration to contest against Nambooze because of his influence at Magere, at NUP’s Secretariat and among local and foreign funders who are ready to facilitate his political campaigns.
Musisi is a close friend to Benjamin Katana the NUP treasure. He is also his partner at PACE Advocates, a law firm in Kampala city.
Many foot soldiers in NUP and other party members are seeing Musisi in the picture of late Anthony Wameri who was the party Chief Legal Officer who fought for their rights.
Musisi is also one of the external lawyers who advise Bobi Wine on legal matters and is in cahoots with influential people like; Lawyer Nicholas Opio and Livingstone Ssewanyana, his former boss at Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI).
The development comes at a time when Bobi Wine has started the process of cleaning his house.
There is a silent battle in NUP between Bobi Wine and some members who joined him from DP Bloc who are accusing him of sidelining them and having plans to replace them come 2026.
They claim that Bobi Wine is the one behind his elder brother Fred Nyanzi and Masaka city mayor Florence Namanja Mukasa who are fighting to kick Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament and also the NUP Vice president in charge of Buganda region out of Parliament.
Recently, Butambala county MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi noted that all positions within and outside the party will be contested for. He encouraged youths to show interest in all positions.
Former DP spokesperson Paul Kenneth Kakande while appearing on Peter Kibazo’s Olutindo talk show on Radio Simba revealed that he advised Bobi Wine that even though it is easy to contest for presidency, leading a political party is hard.
He explained that a political party leader has to be very careful when it comes to balancing his members’ ambitions to take or control power.
“When we were still in DP, we slaughtered our leaders. I used to stand up in meeting and place late Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere on the wall because our leaders accepted positive arguments because I was making them for the good of our party, and it is healthy,” Kakande said.
He added that internal party fights are normal and healthy because they show that the party has brilliant members who want to take or control state power.
Kakande narrated that him and other DP youths convinced the late Boniface Byanyima (the fallen party national chairperson) to join them in the fight against late Al-Hajji Nasser Ntege Ssebaggala and Francis Bwengye who they accused of plotting to sell their party to president Museveni’s government and they won the battle.
Kakande is one of the members of the DP Bloc who were denied NUP ticket in the 2021. He stood as an independent but was defeated by the current Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Nakawa West Legislator Joel Ssenyonyi.
Abed Bwanika a strong Mpuuga supporter has already warned Bobi Wine that NUP candidates in the 2026 general elections will not be determined at the party headquarter as it was in 2021.
Bwanika also cautioned that they will not allow Nyanzi’s Kunga in Masaka because they have reliable information that it is targeting certain individuals including himself and his man Mpuuga.
NUP insiders are still claiming that Bobi Wine is likely to front a one Alice Nannungi, who is mayor Namayanja’s henchwoman to contest against Mpuuga for Nyendo-Mukungwe MP seat
