Kampala– I couldn’t suppress a chuckle watching Proscovia Mukisa, better known as Nabbosa, on Baba TV recently. The aspiring National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer for Mityana District Woman MP was grilled on her parliamentary ambitions, but her responses veered straight into comedy territory. When asked about the roles of a Member of Parliament and her preferred committee, Nabbosa lit up about joining an “entertainment committee.” One might wonder if she mistook the studio for a TikTok skit set. The host, ever the professional, let her words hang in the air, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions about her readiness for the 2026 polls.
Nabbosa, a 30-something actress and social media influencer, burst onto Uganda’s political scene with her June 2025 bid for the NUP ticket. Famous for viral dance videos and comedic sketches on TikTok, where she amasses thousands of followers, she positioned herself as a fresh voice for “struggling communities.” Born in Mityana, she claims roots in the district’s grassroots struggles, vowing to champion service delivery under NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi. Yet, her political resume is thinner than a rally pamphlet. No prior elected office, no legislative experience—just a flair for entertainment that propelled her past incumbent Joyce Bagala in the primaries. By late September, NUP handed her the flag, sidelining Bagala amid party infighting over loyalties to ex-Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga.
Critics whisper she’s the party’s latest “jerrycan”—a vessel for votes, not vision—echoing debates on NUP’s penchant for unvetted celebrities over substance.
This isn’t isolated buffoonery; it’s symptomatic of Mityana’s representational malaise. Take Francis Zaake, the current Mityana North MP, whose own TV escapades have become cautionary tales. In a infamous Straight Talk Africa interview hosted by the late Shaka Ssali, Zaake’s rants devolved into chaos, forcing an early cutoff to salvage the show’s dignity. Zaake, once a fiery youth activist, now embodies NUP’s tolerance for spectacle over scrutiny, his tenure marred by suspensions and scandals rather than substantive bills. And Bagala? The Woman MP Nabbosa ousted was no paragon—dropped for her Mpuuga ties—but at least she navigated committees without confusing them for casting calls. Now, Nabbosa steps in, boldly declaring that a mere NUP card suffices to clinch victory. “Voters aren’t expecting more,” she quipped on air. If true, it’s a damning indictment of Mityana’s electorate, prizing red berets over red meat policy.
Enter the real mismatch: NRM’s Judith Nabakooba, Nabbosa’s likely foe. As Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Nabakooba is a battle-hardened administrator with decades in public service. A Mityana native, she’s spearheaded grassroots mobilizations, from road upgrades to women’s empowerment drives under President Museveni’s banner.
Nominated for the Great 63 Uganda Development Champions Journal in April 2025, her ledger boasts tangible wins: reviving NRM structures in Kalangaalo Sub-County unopposed and advocating land reforms that benefit smallholder farmers.
Nabakooba doesn’t just talk committees; she chairs them, dissecting budgets and probing executive excesses with the precision of a surgeon. Against her, Nabbosa’s “entertainment” pitch feels like bringing a selfie stick to a sword fight.
Why does this matter? Because MPs aren’t mere cheerleaders; they are the Constitution’s sentinels. Article 79 mandates them to legislate, yet how can one draft coherent bills on education or health without grasping fiscal intricacies? Oversight committees—like Public Accounts or Budget—demand forensic intelligence to unearth graft, as seen in the 2024 oil probe where sharp minds exposed billions in ghost contracts. An ignorant MP rubber-stamps tyranny, eroding the separation of powers. Intelligence fosters articulate debate, turning raw passion into policy alchemy. Recall how competent voices like Gerald Karuhanga eviscerated flawed laws; dimwits, conversely, amplify misinformation, as Zaake’s viral gaffes did during COVID debates.
Mityana, famed for its matooke and resilience, deserves representatives who illuminate, not entertain. Nabbosa’s candor—that a party ticket trumps talent—reveals NUP’s gamble: trading depth for dazzle in a bid to reclaim seats lost to apathy. But voters, awaken! Electing the uninformed shames the district, perpetuating cycles of underdevelopment. Nabakooba may not be flawless, but her record screams competence. In 2026, let Mityana choose brains over buzz—lest the real joke is on its future.
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