Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Bakireke Nambooze maintains that she has not left the Democratic Party.
Nambooze. Who was yesterday unveiled as a new member of the National Unity Platform (NUP) led by Robert Kyagukanyi alias Bobi Wine, now claims she is not yet out of the Democratic Party but only in NUP for ‘strategic reasons”.
Nambooze was put on the spot during the NBS Frontline show to bid farewell to the DP and embrace her new party NUP, which she refused to do.
“I am not saying goodbye to DP. I still have unfinished business there; my movement is strategic so I am not bidding farewell to anyone. In fact, I have now kept my life membership card in a very safe locker,” Nambooze said.
She said that her joining NUP is aimed at overthrowing Museveni, and when that is achieved, she will reset to DP.
“What we are fighting for is to overthrow Museveni and give our selves a transitional government where we shall organize the country by writing a new constitution. By the time we have transitioned, we shall not have laws to apprehend Nambooze for leaving DP,” she claimed.
“I have gone to join Ugandans to fight for the overthrow of Museveni’s regime that is holding us hostage. There will be no reason why I would not rejoin DP. My assignment is to take NUP to DP or vice versa,” she added, much to the confusion of the show host.
“I am confused, you are leaving DP and not leaving,” Joseph Sabiiti, the show host wondered.
The DP President General Norbert Mao who was part of the show said Nambooze and the DP block that joined NUP had already quit the party.
“Most of them said bye-bye long ago, you can not hide a pregnancy.”
Mao said that the defectors had been a big burden to the party and it is good riddance that they have crossed to join Bobi Wine, who has through his lyrical composition urged people to take burdens to him in a song dubbed “bikwase Kyagulanyi”
“Hon Kyagulanyi launched an album called Bikwase Kyagulanyi, which means take your burdens to Kyagulanyi, we are glad that our problems have been handed over to Kyagulanyi.”
Mao claimed that Nambooze and the rest are just office seekers masquerading as fighters in the struggle.
“I would be happy if those talking about the struggle a to remove Museveni and bring change if they were not office-seekers, there is a difference between the struggle and office seeking I want to find someone who will look me in face and say I am in the struggle, I don’t want to be an MP or councilor.”
In a heavily attended event yesterday, Bobi Wine and the NUP received 11 members of DP.
Notable among the members of parliament that were unveiled at the NUP party offices in Kamwokya included MPs Joseph Ssewungu, Betty Nambooze, Moses Kasibante, Allan Sewanyana, Matiya Lwanga Bwanika among others.
Speaking at the unveiling, the NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi said that this did not come off as a surprise because they have been working together for a long time in the People Power movement.
Kyagulanyi said that “we wanted to be the gum that brings together all the forces of change and we have been working with many of them informally as the People Power and today, they have taken a formal step and together, we are taking on the dictatorship formally and informally.”
Kyagulanyi urged members of the NUP party to welcome the newcomers as they have always welcomed other members that have joined them.
“Don’t make them feel less, or different and yes, don’t make them feel any special because in NUP we are all the same. We are in this together,” Kyagulanyi said.
