#UGVotes2021: What we know about Bobi Wine's National Unity Platform

Kyadondo East legislator and presidential hopeful, Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine unveiled the National Unity Platform (NUP) as the new political wing of his People Power movement ahead of the 2021 general election.

Kyagulanyi took over the party's leadership from Mzeei Moses Kibalama Nkonge, who is the immediate former president of the NUP.

Mzeei Kibalama, while addressing the press at the People Powerhead offices in Kamwokya said that they had handed over the party's leadership to Kyagulanyi, at their delegates conference on July 22, 2020.

Mzeei Kibalama said, "We signed all the legal documents with the Electoral Commission and Mr. Kyagulanyi is the new President of the National Unity Platform."

The Nile Post understands that, according to the Electoral Commission website, the NUP was registered under the Political Parties and Organisations Act, and had its application for registration gazetted on December 28th, 2004 as the National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURDP).

In his speech on Wednesday, Kyagulanyi said that "In July 2019, we changed the name of the party from NURDP to NUP."

The Nile Post understands that this change of name was approved on July 15, 2019, by the EC and it was gazetted on August 12, 2019.

The National Unity Platform's address according to the application and EC website is Plot 79 Buganda Road.

At the time of registration, NUP declared its colors like navy blue, white, and red with a symbol of an umbrella and a slogan, " We need unity, reconciliation, and development."

At the relaunch on Wednesday, the symbol, through remained as an umbrella, was changed in color to include black, yellow, red, the three colors of the Uganda National Flag.

Kyagulanyi said that when they started the People Power movement, they had a lengthy discussion on whether or not, they should form a political party.

"Our debate led to the conclusion that it was both untimely and unjustifiable to form a political party at the time and in case, we are alive to the fact that the current government sill foil any attempt to register People Power as a party," Kyagulanyi said.

The legislator added that indeed when the People Power movement's legal team tried to preserve the name 'People Power', just in case they wanted to register it at some point, they were told that the name had been reserved and flagged so that they don't register.

Kyagulanyi said that since then, "we have confronted the struggle as a political movement advocating for change."

Kyagulanyi said that their view, as People Power, has not changed but for months, the movement has been faced with a big question on how and what symbol they intend to use for their candidates in the 2021 general election.

Last month, the People Power movement unveiled an electoral management team for People Power and since then, according to their mouthpiece Joel Ssenyonyi, they have received over 10,000 candidates expressing desire to run under the People Power platform.

Kyagulanyi said that as expected, "all our people would want a uniform symbol and we know that a symbol that will be given to Hon. Kyagulanyi, will not be allowed to be given to anyone else,"

"This is why we worked around the clock to come up with an answer to this question and today, we have the answer."

The Kyadondo East representative in Parliament however noted that this will not affect their programs as the People Power movement and all candidates from the political parties not be affected.