The absence of John Baptist Nambeshe, the National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy president for Eastern Uganda, at the party’s mobilization activities in the subregion yesterday, has raised eyebrows amidst rumours that he is on the verge of rejoining the NRM.
Robert Kyagulanyi, the NUP president, met with party leaders, mobilizers, and supporters from the 40 districts that make up Eastern Uganda in Mbale. The leaders came from Busoga, Bugisu, Teso, Bukedi, and Sebei Sub-regions, which fall under Nambeshe’s docket.
Sources within NUP told Bbeg Media that Nambeshe had been contacted ahead of the visit, but he told the party he was busy with some private matters.
Kyagulanyi was accompanied by David Lewis Rubongoya, the NUP secretary general; Waiswa Mufumbiro, the party’s deputy spokesperson, and Paul Mwiru, the former Jinja East MP who joined NUP in 2023.
We reported last month that the NRM was sweet-talking the Manjiya County MP to rejoin its ranks.
Some of the people charged with bringing Nambeshe back into the NRM fold include: Mike Mukula, the NRM vice chairman for Eastern Uganda; Lydia Wanyoto, the head of NRM Women’s League, and Emmanuel Dombo, the director of Communication at the party secretariat.
Nambeshe was first elected MP on the NRM ticket in 2016 before he switched to NUP in 2021. He has been instrumental in building NUP structures in Bugisu.
Our sources told us last month that Nambeshe’s frustration with the party stems from the fact that he was overlooked for the leader of the opposition role in 2023 in preference for Joel Ssenyonyi, the Nakawa West MP.
Our efforts to reach Nambeshe were futile.
