KAMPALA – MP Mathias Mpuuga, the fired National Unity Platform – NUP Parliamentary Commissioner has said that his party president, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has been speaking in the media, press conferences, and funerals trying so hard to convince the country that he is a terrible human being, which the country has not accepted.
The former Leader of Opposition was on Tuesday morning responding to corruption accusations imposed on him by his party having engaged, together with the NRM Parliamentary Commissioners in the irregular self-allocation of 1.7 billion shillings as “Service Awards” in a meeting chaired by Ms. Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament in which Mpuuga pocketed shs500 million.
As a result, the party’s National Executive Committee on March 15, 2024, resolved to fire him from the commission and replace him with Mityana Municipality MP, Zaake Francis Butebi.
Mpuuga who has since declined to step down from the office says he has never been engaged in any acts of corruption and the money was granted to him as a gratuity therefore he cannot be accused of any crime.
Speaking to the press, he noted that despite the pressure exerted on him, he is not leaving a party he founded himself.
“I did not join NUP, I was a part of the founding blocks of NUP where I serve as a Deputy President in charge of Buganda. I’m here to reaffirm I’m not leaving NUP.”
“Whoever thought that they were hounding me out of NUP, I’m here to inform them that whichever indiscipline, mismanagement, or mischievous manoeuvres, we are going to be in the party. At least nobody has moved me to the level of deserting a party that I founded. That should be understood,” he said.
He noted that Ugandans must be encouraged to question the decisions of their leaders especially those in higher offices that make decisions and act on their behalf.
“We must regain public confidence as NUP and the Opposition, trust and demonstrate that we are worthy of the people’s support in leading towards change and transformation the Ugandan masses are yearning for.”
Mpuuga says instead of these fights, they (NUP) should be embarking on a joint push for major reforms in their electoral laws and constitutional shifts to enable diaspora citizen participation in electoral activities beyond manipulating the change agenda by selfish individuals.
“I will share with the NUP leadership what I believe my party and I can contribute to the change agenda given the timeframe at our disposal and the urgent need to coalescence for the realization of change in our country.”
