Mathias Mpuuga Extends Olive Branch to NUP, Calls for ‘Common Sense’ in Opposition Ahead of 2026 Polls

Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, the newly installed President of the Democratic Front (DF), today declared his party’s readiness to engage in dialogue with his former political home, the National Unity Platform (NUP), provided its leaders demonstrate “sensible actions” and a genuine capacity to contribute to Uganda’s desired political transition.

Speaking at the official launch of the DF party at Laston Gardens in Masaka City on Friday, Mpuuga, who previously served as NUP’s Deputy President for Buganda, emphasized a commitment to working with all “change-seeking forces” in the country. This collaboration, he stressed, would be contingent on such forces exhibiting “logic and practice politics of common sense,” attributes he suggested were “devoid in some political actors.”

Mpuuga’s departure from NUP was highly publicized, stemming from accusations by the party’s top leadership, including President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, that he fictitiously received a 500 million shillings “Service Award” from Parliament during his tenure as Leader of Opposition. Kyagulanyi openly condemned Mpuuga’s actions and subsequently removed him from his NUP position, a move that drew mixed reactions within the party.

Despite the bitter fallout, Mpuuga asserted that for the “broader common objective of achieving the desired political change,” he is willing to sit and dialogue with “whoever respects harmony for a better country.”

However, Mpuuga did not shy away from criticising NUP, particularly for what he termed a lack of “necessary efforts to cause the release of its members who are locked up in government prisons on offences related to politics.” He expressed profound disappointment that some NUP leaders had chosen “to be arrogant at the expense of supporters for whom they would have tiptoed to secure their release from prison.”

“I want to pledge that we are going to engage with the various stakeholders to secure the release of those opposition supporters who are languishing in prisons. That is not a sign of weakness, but being strategically bold and courteous,” Mpuuga vowed, drawing a clear distinction in approach.

The DF launch also saw calls for unity and renewed hope within the opposition. Kampala Central MP and President of the Ecological Party of Uganda, Muhammad Nsereko, challenged the DF leadership to become a “trusted opposition force, capable of restoring hope among the many desperate Ugandans who still lack a political belonging.” Nsereko indicated his party’s intention to collaborate with other “well-meaning opposition forces” to present joint candidates in the upcoming general elections.

Sadam Gayira, the National Chairperson of the People Progressive Party (PPP), urged Ugandans to reject “politics of mudslinging,” which he believes undermines the country’s potential by sidelining credible leaders.

As the Democratic Front embarks on its journey, its Electoral Commission Chairperson, Henry Lubowa, announced that the party has officially opened the nomination exercise for aspirants seeking to contest for various leadership positions in the next general elections. The DF’s emergence, coupled with Mpuuga’s willingness to re-engage, albeit cautiously, with NUP, signals a potential new dynamic in Uganda’s fragmented opposition landscape.