Lawyer Nalukoola’s Rice, Bribery Tricks Backfire

Lawyer Erias Nalukoola, a recent defector from the Democratic Party (DP) to the National Unity Platform (NUP), has found himself in hot water.

The former DP legal advisor is accused of bribing NUP leaders to secure a party ticket and using food to buy votes from unsuspecting party foot soldiers.

Nalukoola’s troubles began when he arrived at the NUP headquarters, dressed in bulletproof vests and a helmet, strangely similar to Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine’s attire during the 2021 presidential campaign.

Nalukoola’s brave fashion statement was not lost on onlookers, who were shocked by his audacity. To make matters worse, Nalukoola brought a lorry loaded with cooked rice, which he distributed to NUP foot soldiers and supporters within the precincts of the party headquarters.

Hillary Sseguya, aka Justice Hunter, a prominent NUP stakeholder, was quick to condemn Nalukoola’s actions.

“Lawyer Nalukoola is a coreless opportunist. It will be a political miscalculation for NUP to declare Nalukoola as our flag bearer for the Kawempe North by-election,” Sseguya posted on his X account. He further emphasized, “the man came with rice [food] to buy votes! What a threat to democracy!”

Sseguya’s criticism did not stop there. In a separate post, he expressed his contempt for Nalukoola’s tactics, stating, “the late Ssegirinya didn’t buy people rice to win the 2021 race! The money Nalukoola spends in this by-election, the greedier he will be if he makes it to parliament.” Sseguya thus unequivocally declared, “I am against vote buying/political corruption in Uganda. Democracy is not for sale and food won’t buy it.”

The controversy surrounding Nalukoola’s actions has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for his rejection as a candidate. Pius Jadwar, another NUP supporter, chimed in, labelling Nalukoola a “political fraudster.”

A last week’s leaked WhatsApp conversation between Nalukoola and Chairman Nyanzi, Bobi Wine’s elder brother, has also raised eyebrows. The chat reveals that Nyanzi requested Nalukoola to pay more than Shs300m to key party leaders to secure the party ticket, which Nalukoola allegedly agreed to.

Nalukoola’s actions have not only damaged his reputation but also undermined the integrity of the NUP party.

As Sseguya aptly put it, “Nalukoola is a good example of political corruption. He is shamelessly using food [rice] to buy votes from gullible foot soldiers. This is enough vote of no confidence in this lawyer. We must reject this politics of food.”