Back in 2021, when People Power painted the city red, everyone thought it was a wave that drenches a few politicians, shakes a few tables then quietly retreats to the lake.
Fast forward to 2025 and that wave seems to have learned how to spin. Now it is less of a wave and more of a full-blown political hurricane: Category 3 and counting.
You can almost feel it in the air: the noise, the excitement, the suspicion. NUP has evolved from a movement of street chants and raised fists into a structured vote-hungry machine. But, as every fisherman from Busoga to Entebbe knows, when the lake begins to boil, not everyone rows in rhythm.
Just look at the Busiro East drama. Mathias Walukagga—yes, the Kadongo Kamu legend—walked away with the NUP ticket, leaving the sitting MP Medard Ssegona drenched and wondering what hit him.
One moment you are a loyal comrade, the next you are watching a singer replace you on the ballot paper.
Now Mr Walukagga is not just a random choice. The man has charm, rhythm and crowds who would follow him anywhere there is a microphone. The party seems to be betting on popularity over the old guard’s experience. Some call it refreshing. Others call it risky business.
And that is exactly what is happening. Mr Ssegona did not take it lying down. He is now planning to run as an independent, which could split the opposition vote wider than a pothole on the Northern Bypass.
The red berets are back in the headlines. And Uganda’s political meteorologists—meaning all of us on Facebook and X—are refreshing the page every five minutes. The wind is picking up. The waves are rising. And whether you love or hate the storm, one thing is clear: the hurricane season has officially begun—and in real earnest.
But to be fair, party bosses have their reasons. After all, turning a fiery street movement into a political institution is like trying to turn a boda boda into a tour bus. The energy is there—but you need rules, structure and maybe better brakes. That means telling some MPs “thank you for your service” even if they helped build the house in the first place.
Critics are calling it a purge. Loyalists call it discipline. I call it growing pains—the teenage years of a revolution. The test now is whether NUP can transform that raw emotion of 2021 into organised power that can actually win in 2026. Not just with slogans but with strategy. This is the real test.
And as if that is not enough, President Museveni is not exactly handing them an easy road. State pressure remains heavy: arrests, intimidation, the usual political gymnastics. Yet the party keeps marching. Sometimes it staggers.
So is NUP stronger than we expected? Probably, yes. But also more fragile than it looks. You see a hurricane gathers strength from unity: warm currents, shared direction. The moment it hits cold water—division, ego or fatigue—it starts to lose its punch.
FIND MORE SHARP TAKES FROM EJ MAGAMBO
- Is the NUP wave now a storm strong enough to shake State House windows?
- Moses Ali is all Uganda needs to know it is stuck in a massive political traffic jam
- Our labia, our terms: ‘Okusika’ isn’t up for debate
- The rot in our politics: How Uganda’s leadership is becoming a national embarrassment
- You can erase Buganda from the map of Uganda, but not from the bones of Ugandans
The next few months will reveal everything. Watch the defections. Watch the new candidates. Watch whether those who lose tickets stay in line or form a second wave of independents. Because if the internal storms keep brewing, NUP might end up fighting itself while the ruling party quietly enjoys the infighting.
But for now the skies over Entebbe are electric. The red berets are back in the headlines. And Uganda’s political meteorologists—meaning all of us on Facebook and X—are refreshing the page every five minutes.
The wind is picking up. The waves are rising. And whether you love or hate the storm, one thing is clear: the hurricane season has officially begun—and in real earnest.
🔴 Voice of the Moment is your go-to for commentary that won’t pause, wait or soften. Political fallout, moral reckoning, social quake. If it stirs the national conversation, it lands here. Not long reads. Bold reflections.
You must be logged in to post a comment.