A Shs400 million service award, meant as recognition for parliamentary work, has unexpectedly reshaped the political landscape, costing several prominent figures—including members of the National Unity Platform (NUP), NRM, UPC, and independents—their parliamentary seats.
The controversy traces back to May 6, 2022, when a total of Shs1.7 billion was allocated as a service award among four NUP commissioners: Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo District Woman Representative), Prossy Akampurira (Rubanda District Woman Representative), and former Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga.
Although NUP was founded on principles of servant leadership, equality, transparency, and accountability, the leaked dossier exposing the award triggered intense internal strife.
In a letter dated March 27, 2024, party president Robert Kyagulanyi suspended Mpuuga from his position as NUP Deputy President for Central Region, citing alleged corruption tied to the Shs.500 million portion he received.
Kyagulanyi also referred the matter to the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), setting off a wave of political maneuvering. Key party figures, including Acting Deputy President Muwanga Kivumbi, and MPs Theodore Ssekikubo (Lyemiyaga County), Sarah Opendi (Tororo District Woman Representative), and Odria Arion (Aringa South), launched a crusade to censure the four commissioners and address corruption allegations in Parliament.
However, their efforts failed to gain traction.
The political fallout continued to manifest in the 2026 parliamentary elections, where several of the crusade’s key movers lost their seats.
Ssekikubo lost Lyemiyaga County to Brig Gen Emmanuel Rwashande, while Kivumbi, NUP Vice President for Buganda Region and Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, was defeated in Butambala County by journalist Erias Mukiibi Sserunjogi.
Other high-profile losses included Opendi, who lost the Tororo District Woman Representative seat to Angela Akoth; Jonathan Odur, defeated in Erute by former minister Sam Engola; Gorreth Namugga, who lost Mawogola North to Dez Byuuma Oswaldo; and Luttamaguzi Ssemakula, Nakaseke South, unseated by Charles Nsereko.
Mpuuga, the initial subject of the controversy, was taken down from his Nyendo Mukungwe seat by NUP's Gyavira Lubowa Ssebina.
Analysts suggest that the Shs400 million award and ensuing internal censure battles not only weakened opposition cohesion but also indirectly influenced voter sentiment, benefiting candidates from across the political spectrum.
The episode underscores how internal party disputes, particularly those involving allegations of corruption, can have far-reaching electoral consequences, reshaping parliamentary representation in ways that extend well beyond the original controversy.