NUP Kicks Off Kampala Vetting Week

The National Unity Platform (NUP) has unveiled its weekly vetting schedule for aspirants seeking party endorsement in Kampala’s key constituencies, signaling the start of serious internal preparations for the 2026 general elections.

According to a program released by the party secretariat, the vetting exercise will run from Monday, July 28 to Friday, August 1, 2025, and will cover highly contested divisions such as Lubaga, Kawempe, Nakawa, Makindye, and Kampala Central.

The week will begin with Lubaga North, Nakawa West, and Kawempe South on Monday. On Tuesday, the panel will vet candidates from Lubaga South, Nakawa West, and Kawempe North. Kawempe, Nakawa, and Lubaga (as broader divisions) will follow on Wednesday, while Makindye West, Makindye East, and Kampala Central will be assessed on both Thursday and Friday — an indication of stiff competition and heightened interest in those areas.

All activities will take place at the party’s headquarters in Makerere-Kavule, beginning promptly at 8:00 AM, the statement emphasized.

The announcement comes just days after NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, marked five years since the party’s political unveiling with a defiant message reaffirming the movement’s mission to “end oppression and dictatorship in Uganda.”

“In these few years, the Party has registered incredible milestones that have turned it into one of the most potent anti-dictatorship forces Uganda has had across generations,” Kyagulanyi said in a statement commemorating the party’s anniversary.

He acknowledged the organizational growth the party has made — including establishing what he called the largest opposition headquarters in the country — while also noting serious setbacks such as abductions, torture, and detentions of party members by state operatives.

Kyagulanyi also highlighted ongoing efforts to democratize the party through constitutional reforms, which he claimed are being “impeded by regime agents hiding in plain sight among us.”

“No matter the price, we still press forward, grounded in this mission and guided by the unshakeable belief that with God by our side, there is no mountain we shall not surmount,” he declared.

Political observers view the vetting process as a test of NUP’s ability to balance popularity with discipline, especially after internal divisions and questions of transparency marred past candidate selections.

The Kampala region — a traditional opposition stronghold — remains critical for NUP’s 2026 electoral strategy, particularly after sweeping most of the capital’s parliamentary seats in the 2021 elections.

As the party begins its vetting process, the broader challenge lies in translating mass support into structured, disciplined political machinery capable of competing nationally — and ultimately governing.