Mpuuga Explains DA Vision, Status With NUP

The newly launched Democratic Alliance (DA) is a civic platform that aims to offer a political home for all Ugandans, particularly the youth seeking a fresh approach to governance, and would unite all opposition forces to challenge President Yoweri Museveni’s nearly four-decade rule, Mathias Mpuuga, the ex-LoP, has said.

In a candid live interview on NBS Morning Breeze on December 9^th, 2024, Mpuuga emphasized the urgent need for opposition factions to come together under one umbrella.

“The opposition must, as a necessity, sit under a big tree or big tent and speak to each other. Right now, the opposition is divided. Everyone is cocooned in their small enclave, unable to think beyond positions and survival,” he noted.

A New Day and a New Way

Gesturing a shift in approach, Mpuuga declared his commitment to a “new day and a new way of doing things,” in the political arena which has been contaminated by divisive and hateful politics, emphasizing the need for fresh strategies in the political landscape.

“I am not an angry man, but I am a man who moves with conviction. I have a duty to self, a duty to the country, and an obligation to my colleagues where I think the collective has not been achieved,” he stated.

Castigating the self-interest leading style, Mpuuga assured Ugandans that he is ready to work with everyone in Uganda and beyond, and NUP’s Bobi Wine, to chart a way forward for Uganda’s opposition.

“This is not about who leads; it is about building a sustainable movement that can challenge the status quo and deliver meaningful change,” Mpuuga said.

Regarding the future of DA, he categorically reiterated his announcement, asserting that a civic platform will eventually transition into an electoral entity.

“In a few months, we are consulting; it will be an electoral platform,” Mpuuga announced.

A Reflection on NUP

Mpuuga’s decision to form the DA comes after criticizing the National Unity Platform (NUP) for lacking focus on alternative policies and opposition unity.

“I do not think my friends at Kavule [NUP headquarters] are interested in the alternative policies.” He added, “I do not think they are aware that the opposition is stuck and that the opposition needs unity.”

In further reflection, the Nyendo-Mukungwe MP, and Parliamentary Commissioner “I have done my part in NUP,” Mpuuga declared.

“My legacy in NUP is there for all to see. I invested my energy, my resources, and my capabilities to improve the outlook of a ragtag organisation, to give it a face and a name, and to help them erect a clear platform for understanding how the state is organised. If they are humble, they will say, ‘Yes, he helped us.'”

Criticising NUP’s Inertia

Mpuuga criticized what he described as inertia within NUP, stating that its current trajectory does little to advance the broader cause of the opposition in Uganda.

“The divisive nature of their politics, for me, does not help the cause of the opposition,” he said, adding that the opposition must unite to present a formidable front in the next political cycle.

Responds to Critics

Responding to comments made by former opposition leader Ogenga Latigo, who accused him of promoting a Buganda-centric agenda and acting out of spite, Mpuuga expressed disappointment.

“I felt sorry for the old man,” Mpuuga said, “he sounded bitter, and I question the cause of his bitterness. Perhaps we need to have a conversation to understand each other better.”

Mpuuga dismissed claims that he was targeting to fight NUP, saying, “NUP does not have the ball. The ball is with the NRM. That’s where I am taking the fight.”