Muwanga Snubs Key Bobi Supporter’s Burial Over Rival Nambooze’s Presence

A weird act has sparked outrage and exposed the deep-seated divisions within the leading opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), after the hardly-a-month-old deputy president for Buganda region, Muwanga Kivumbi, conspicuously absented himself from the burial ceremony of Ashraf Kasirye’s father Mzee Kiwanuka Mbuga.

Kiwanuka who was knocked by a speeding motorcycle while crossing the road last week, was a key supporter of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, and his burial, was a somber occasion that brought together various leaders not just from NUP, but also from other opposition parties, especially the People’s Freedom Front (PFF.)

However, one notable absence from the ceremony graced by party’s top brass including Bobi Wine, Lewis Rubongoya, the secretary general, and Joel Ssenyonyi, the party spokesperson, and the Leader of opposition, was Muwanga, the deputy president of NUP in charge of the Buganda region. Muwanga’s decision to snub the ceremony has sparked speculation about the ongoing power struggle within the party.

According to sources, Muwanga’s absence was not just a coincidence, but also a deliberate move to express his discontent with certain party members.

Specifically, Muwanga has been at odds with Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, a senior legislator and a key figure in NUP with whom they were embroiled in a protracted rivalry, which dates back to Muwanga’s appointment as deputy president, not Nambooze.

Muwanga’s decision to boycott the burial ceremony was motivated by a desire to exact revenge on Nambooze, who also refused to attend his victory party after he was appointed deputy president, which occurred last month in Butambala.

Muwanga asserted that Nambooze’s absence was a snub, and he has been seeking to settle the score ever since.

To lay bare the depth of the animosity between Muwanga and Nambooze, Butambala legislator said, “she [Nambooze] refused to attend my victory party in protest for my appointment as the deputy president of the party instead of her. I know she is still interested in my job. Let her do her campaign to which I cannot be part.”

In a veiled reference to the ongoing power struggle within the NUP, Nambooze, on the other hand, used the burial ceremony to urge the young people present to remain committed to the party’s ideals and to avoid actions that could raise doubts about their loyalty.

The bad blood between Muwanga and Nambooze has significant implications for NUP, particularly as the party prepares for the 2026 elections. The power struggle between these two senior leaders could potentially split the party and undermine its chances of success.

It remains to be seen whether Muwanga and Nambooze, the most senior legislators who decamped from the Democratic Party to NUP in 2020 can put aside their differences and work towards a common goal.