Mukono – In a bold defiance of party loyalty, Hanifa Nabukeera, the fiery Mukono Woman MP, has severed ties with the National Unity Platform (NUP) and thrown her hat into the ring as an independent candidate for the Mukono Municipality parliamentary seat in the 2026 polls. The dramatic exit, announced amid accusations of rigged internal processes, exposes deepening fissures within Uganda’s largest opposition party and could splinter votes in a race already teeming with contenders.
Nabukeera’s bombshell came during a charged press conference at her Lumuli-Goma home on Tuesday, just days after NUP’s vetting committee snubbed her bid to retain the Woman MP flag, handing it instead to Sheila Amanio Dravile—a recent party recruit with a controversial past.
“Although I still believe in Robert Kyagulanyi as the next President of Uganda, I no longer associate myself with NUP,” Nabukeera declared, her voice steady but laced with betrayal. “The process that denied me the party card was unjust and contrary to the principles of fairness and transparency that the party preaches.”
The fallout traces back to Nabukeera’s stellar 2021 victory, where she trounced NRM’s Margret Nakavubu with 102,162 votes to 49,363, cementing her as a rising star in NUP’s female ranks. Representing four constituencies, she built a reputation for prioritizing grassroots needs over party directives. But whispers of internal beefs—fueled by her refusal to back certain district-level hopefuls—allegedly sealed her fate.
Nabukeera didn’t mince words on Amanio, a former NRM loyalist who once touted President Museveni as the “sole candidate”:
“After endorsing Museveni, she crossed to NUP, and within six months, she is now shouting ‘Kyagulanyi is my president.’ Strangely, the vetting team believed her. That’s mockery.”
She accused the committee of sidelining voter surveys and popularity polls in favor of shadowy deals, adding, “I was accused of not supporting certain individuals whose interests don’t align with the people’s needs. My mandate covers four constituencies, so I can’t be expected to follow one person’s political agenda.”
Dismissing NUP’s stern warnings against independent runs as hypocritical—”They tell us not to stand as independents, yet they don’t follow their own regulations. You can’t blame me for seeking justice through the ballot”—Nabukeera vowed to let Mukono’s voters be the ultimate judge. “I came into politics to serve them, not to please a few individuals at the top.”
The move catapults Nabukeera into a brutal showdown for the Municipality seat, currently held by NUP veteran Betty Nambooze.
The field is a political circus: NRM’s Dr. Daisy Ssonko, Rev. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa (LC V Chairman), George Fred Kagimu (ex-mayor on Buganda Democratic Party ticket), Andrew Ssenyonga Ruzindana (NRM heavyweight), and Allan Mawanda (DF-backed council speaker). Analysts fear her entry will erode NUP’s edge, especially among women and youth who overlap with Nambooze’s base, handing a gift to the ruling party through vote dilution.
NUP insiders, speaking off-record, pinned the rift on “unmanaged egos” and a vetting process that’s become a lightning rod for discontent. Party brass has yet to fire back publicly, but the episode underscores broader gripes over internal democracy in the Bobi Wine-led outfit, which swept Mukono in 2021 on anti-corruption fervor. “This isn’t just personal—it’s a symptom of how primaries are turning into power plays,” noted political commentator Dr. Sarah Kizza. “If NUP can’t keep its house in order, Museveni’s machine will feast on the chaos.”
As nominations loom, Nabukeera’s gamble hangs on her street cred and Kyagulanyi’s enduring pull—minus the party machine. For Mukono’s battleground voters, it’s a stark choice: unity or upheaval? Watch this space; the Taxman’s not the only one collecting headaches this election cycle.
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