Fresh divisions could emerge within the National Unity Platform (NUP) after former Masaka Municipality Woman MP aspirant Rose Nalubowa made explosive claims that several opposition legislators also accompanied her in seeking an audience with President Yoweri Museveni, raising questions about the party’s knowledge of the controversial engagement.
Nalubowa’s revelations have attracted attention because NUP had earlier distanced itself from her meeting with Museveni, describing it as a personal arrangement that was neither authorised nor known to the party leadership. However, she now insists that other opposition politicians, particularly legislators involved in election disputes, also took advantage of the opportunity to meet the President.
Among the prominent names appearing on a list circulating publicly and allegedly linked to Nalubowa are Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi and Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze Bakireke. Other politicians named include Makindye West MP Zahara Maala Luyirika, Nansana Municipality MP Zambaali Bulasio Mukasa and Lubaga North MP Abubaker Kawalya.
The list also mentions Lubaga South MP Eugenia Nassolo, Kampala Woman MP Shamim Malende, Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Gyavira Ssebina, Mukono District Woman MP Sheila Amaniyo Draville, Makindye East MP Ali Nganda Kasirye and Mpigi District Woman MP Teddy Nambooze. However, the allegations have not been independently verified, and the politicians named have not publicly confirmed their involvement.
The controversy comes after NUP issued a statement distancing itself from Nalubowa’s engagement with Museveni, making it clear that the meeting was not an official party activity. Her latest claims now raise questions about whether other opposition figures held similar engagements without the party’s knowledge or whether there were broader consultations involving legislators facing electoral challenges.
Nalubowa previously found herself at the centre of political controversy after a video confirming her meeting with Museveni circulated publicly. Before the court delivered its ruling, she had denied meeting the President, even as her political rival, State Minister for Local Government Justine Nameere, alleged that the two had held discussions with him.
Nalubowa had challenged Nameere’s victory in the Masaka Municipality Woman MP election through a court petition but eventually lost the case. Her latest revelations have therefore brought renewed attention to the relationship between opposition politicians, the President and the handling of electoral disputes, particularly when some opposition leaders have consistently criticised the government over political persecution and electoral irregularities.
With Joel Ssenyonyi, Betty Nambooze and other prominent opposition figures appearing on the circulating list, attention is now turning to whether they will respond to the allegations. Until the individuals named provide their accounts, the claims remain unverified, leaving NUP facing fresh questions over internal discipline, political loyalty and its position on engagements with President Museveni.
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