The Untold Story Behind NUP Internal Conflicts: Mpuuga Exposes Wine’s Leadership Style
For the first time since the public attacks by his party president, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, nearly a year ago, former Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mathias Mpuuga has spoken out. In an extensive sit-down interview with The Sunday Monitor, last week, Mpuuga addressed a barrage of serious questions, revealed the truth behind his role in the formation of the National Unity Platform (NUP), and his experience working with Wine.
Mpuuga also tackled the declarations that Wine made him both the LoP and a Member of Parliament.
“I was part and partial of every investiture activity that led to the formation of NUP,” Mpuuga stated. “The party is a common public property. For anybody to make a claim that he is dispensing favors from the party is actually an act of a dictator in the making.”
Ever since their disagreement turned public, Wine has been on record chest-thumping on how he “personally” made Mpuuga a LoP, the MP, and now a Commissioner of Parliament.
However, Mpuuga denied Wine’s claims that he was responsible for his position as LoP or MP, pointing out that he was already a 2-term MP.
“So, it is not a question that I became LoP by virtue of his [Wine’s] favour, that somebody was dispensing a favour in a party that is democratic, it is most unfortunate,” Mpuuga said, “I also heard him claim that he also helped me to become an MP.”
He questioned Wine’s motives, asking why he never extended the same favors to his biological elder brother also the head of mobilization at NUP Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, and his sister Betty Ssentamu who stood for lord mayorship in Kampala and Gomba Woman District MP, respectively.
“Why didn’t he [Bobi Wine] help his brother, and sister? What happened? His brother was close here, the sister was home in Gomba, why didn’t he dispense that favor to the two? Why didn’t he start with himself?”
“I think, the gentleman must style up,” Mpuuga said, “his claims portray him as petty, real petty. You cannot claim that you helped a 2-term member of parliament to come to parliament.” He explained, “Because of the work I did in Buganda in particular, we were able to get 55 MPs in Buganda. I moved every inch of this Buganda territory.”
Mpuuga also revealed Wine’s character as a leader who doesn’t want challenges. “When you raise a challenge to him to respond to, he looks at you as a rival… So, the claim he made was most unfortunate, and I hope one day he will have the humility to tell the world that I lied, and he apologizes to me.”
Speaking to Sunday Monitor at the end of September, Wine had claimed that Mpuuga was being used by the regime to register People Power as a political party to implode NUP from within. However, subsequent information revealed that the promoters of the PPF, were led by Spartan Achilles Mukagyi, a former assistant to David Lewis Rubongoya, the party’s Secretary General who has since slammed Wine for making unfounded allegations against Mpuuga.
“The president of NUP Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi stepped it a notch higher by confidently making unfound utterances and wrongfully accusing Hon. Mathias Mpuuga as the Architect of PFF in a presser on the 30th September 2024,” the preamble of the statement read, “it is public knowledge of who reserved PFF, and Hon. Mpuuga does not appear to be involved in any capacity.”
PPF Denies Ties With Mpuuga, Slams Kyagulanyi’s Unfounded Accusations
In the Interview, Mpuuga expressed concerns about Wine’s leadership style, citing his tendency to make frivolous claims and his inability to engage in productive conversations.
“He has no time for dialogue; he wants to give orders. That is a communist outfit. That is a cult in the alternative.”
Mpuuga shared his personal experience of mistreatment at Wine’s hands, revealing that for the last two years, Wine and his allies have been trying to bring him down.
“They spent two years fighting me as LoP… He [Wine] would call people, ask them to withdraw from work because you are making the man [Mpuuga] shine and I am not there.”
For those interested in Mpuuga’s unfiltered words on these specific questions, his interview with The Sunday Monitor offers a candid look into the inner workings of NUP and the challenges he faced as LoP.
A question on Wine’s Allegations that Mpuuga is being used to register People Power as a political party…
Mathias Mpuuga: I think Mr. Kyagulanyi is trying to communicate something to the world. Namely that he is not serious because if you are a serious person who wants to lead this country, you cannot go out of your way and simply make claims so that you are happy.
You make claims to try to taint a comrade just because you want to mislead, dupe, and misinform the public? It is very unfortunate. I thought over time that Mr. Kyagulanyi would change because he has a problem inherently; I thought over time, working with him, he would change and be a different person.
When you raise a challenge for him to respond to, he looks at you as a rival. He looks at me as [Jose] Chameleon or Bebe Cool, and therefore he is still into those musical wars. So, the claim he made was most unfortunate, and I hope one day he will have the humility to tell the world that I lied, and he apologizes to me.
For a serious person, I thought he was serious, but making those allegations was confirming that he is not here to become serious to lead this country. By making frivolous, false claims to taint comrade so that you can have matters your way, that is not leadership.
That is how bad leaders actually lead to the death of other people. Mr. Kyagulanyi can lead to somebody’s death by appearing to be a straight person but very deceptive and can be dangerous. I hope people close to him can stop him before he deteriorates further. If that is his path to leadership, then I am afraid, the worst is yet to come.
That he rode On Bobi Wine’s Back to become an MP and the LoP
Mathias Mpuuga: First, let us start with first things. Just imagine that there is NUP, and I am a beneficiary who was the owner to whom I must be grateful. I was part and partial of every investiture activity that led to the formation of NUP. It took immense sacrifice from everyone and it took a lot of imagination of possibilities for us to say, yes, let us start this and that is how we breed dictators.
For anybody to believe that was his thing…the party is a common public property. For anybody to lay a claim that he is dispensing favors from the party is actually an act of a dictator in the making.
(In me as LoP,) he had a voice from within and without, he must be grateful. What did he know about Parliament and governance? In doing the work to support each other, we have been trying to shape him into somebody who can lead. Unfortunately, he seems to be a slow learner, and I do not know how much more time we can give him.
So, it is not a question that I became LoP by virtue of his favour, that somebody was dispensing a favour in a party that is democratic, it is most unfortunate.
I also heard him claim that he also helped me to become an MP. Why didn’t he help his brother and sister? What happened? His brother was close here (in Kampala), the sister was home in Gomba, why didn’t he dispense that favor to the two? Why didn’t he start with himself?
I think, the gentleman (Kyagulanyi) must style up. His claims portray him as petty, real petty. You cannot claim that you helped a 2-term member of parliament to come to parliament. Because of the work I did in Buganda in particular, we were able to get 55 MPs in Buganda. I moved every inch of this Buganda territory.
Who knew him? Everyone questioned his capacity. People questioned his judgement aware of his checkered past. We assured them that everybody has a past; we are going to work on him. We took him to people. Whom did he know in Masaka apart from venues of concerts?
So, we took him to the people, and informed people, yes this young man can be shaped into a national leader, let us leave to support him, at least you have heard his name and you are questioning his credentials at a higher level, everyone has heard the past we can shape him.
So, to turn around because you have heard a disagreement with the colleague to invest every inch of your time into trying to bring him down is not a mark of a leader. It is a mark of a tyrant, somebody who wants to survive on the heads of others, and for me, like I said sometime back, I can never accept that kind of leader to lead me to any destination.
Probably Mr. Kyagulanyi is telling the world that he is still petty, he is still into musical wars. For the last two years, he and his small cabal have had on their lips the name of one person Mathias Mpuuga.
When I was a LoP, it was because I never wanted to scatter the team at Parliament and beyond. I kept cool. When I was trying to do oversight work and to keep the Government in check, Kyagulanyi and the secretariat people would call MPs and tell them not to go. You call Rubongoya, and ask MPs. They would call MPs, do not go with that man, the president does not like it.
The chairperson of Buganda caucus Hon Muwanga Kivumbi, sometime last year, had started a program to go to Buganda and undertake a check on deforestation, and the depletion of the central forest reserve in Buganda.
He did three meetings, and they (NUP) stopped him. When he asked, they said no, Mr. Kyagulanyi is saying, is uncomfortable with us moving with you in the countryside when he is not part.
What kind of leader is that? I am very much aware and I was aware when I was LoP, that he would call people (MPs), and ask them to withdraw from work because they are making the man (Mpuuga) shine and I am not there. That style of leadership is very dangerous.
They spent two years fighting me as LoP. I would organize meetings, invite him to parliament and outside parliament to address them, he would come and water down the importance of the meeting! For three-and-half years now, the party president has never called a party caucus to discuss any matter of policy of the party.
The few meetings they have had, he has used them to squeeze down their necks on what I want, ‘I want this’, ‘I want the other’, and I have been questioning him and asking him to have a structured conversation on how we want the party to get out of these blocks because it is still at infancy.
He has no time for dialogue, he has no time for productive conversations, and he wants to give orders. That is a communist outfit. That is a cult in the alternative. That is the character of the person you are talking about, and that is why I am so restrained in discussing his methods of work, and the person because I know in and out.
But because I don’t want to appear as though I am sourgraping, I did my part as LoP, I am an MP. My successor is struggling to really show cause why he is LoP, and they are all fighting. Just imagine Mr. Kyagulanyi and Mr. Ssennyonyi for two months mobilizing people to go to Masaka to purposely abuse me.
Is it true that Mr. Kyagulanyi does not know who the people are robbing this Country or they are in connivance? So, these are very serious issues, but they go to the core of questioning the capacity and competence of the leader.
If we gave you (Wine) this country to lead and you are not able to solve an internal matter, you go shouting at funerals, and musical concerts, will you keep this country together with that kind of capacity and demeanor? So, that is the man I have been patient to work with.