Olivia Lutaaya: Frustrated NUP leaders, Mpuuga trade barbs on Twitter
Former Leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga and NUP leaders on ugly exchange on X over fate of political prisoners
The guilty plea Olivia Lutaaya and more than a dozen political prisoners took before the General Court Martial in Makindye on Monday was bound to hurt many and it more than hurt.
Members of the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) - under which the political prisoners subscribed, were a thread of frustrations as they traded barbs with their estranged leader Mathias Mpuuga on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Ms Lutaaya and 31 other opposition supporters were arrested in 2021 and gave since then been battling terrorism-related charges.
At least five of them had already turned in guilty pleas by May to secure their freedom after nearly four years under military detention.
Ms Lutaaya, the face of the political prisoners, was a glass the NUP politicians could not stomach seeing shattered.
This controversial development has sparked a fierce Twitter exchange between key party leaders, exposing internal divisions and raising concerns about the party’s response to political repression in Uganda.
NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya revealed that Minister Balaam Barugahara visited Kitalya and Luzira prisons, persuading detainees to plead guilty and apologize to the president in exchange for their freedom.
Rubongoya expressed distress over the situation, stating that prominent detainees, including Lutaaya and Saanya Muhuydin, had succumbed to the pressure.
"Most have given in," Rubongoya remarked, decrying the injustice faced by opposition supporters who have languished in detention for years without trial.
However, not all prisoners have yielded. Nine detainees, including Ssekitoleko Yasin Machete and Patrick Mwase, continue to resist the pressure to admit guilt, demanding evidence and a fair trial.
Rubongoya condemned the military court system, labeling it a tool for the unjust imprisonment of opposition figures, and called for greater scrutiny of these detentions.
The simmering frustrations within the NUP leadership boiled over on Twitter, with former NUP deputy president for Buganda Mpuuga joining the conversation. In a pointed tweet, Mpuuga hinted at deeper issues within the party.
“One day the world will know the actions of individual actors in this whole mess,” Mpuuga said in apparent dig at some individuals within the party may be benefiting while others continue to suffer.
NUP lawyer George Musisi fired back, questioning Mpuuga’s commitment to the cause, particularly criticizing his absence from over 40 court hearings for the detainees since 2021.
“Your comrades have appeared in the army court repeatedly. Where were you?” Musisi posted, challenging Mpuuga’s apparent distance from the ongoing legal battles.
Mpuuga did not hold back in his response, accusing Musisi of hypocrisy and obstruction. He suggested that Musisi and others within the party have failed to prioritize justice for missing persons and political detainees, adding sarcastically, “You must be the happiest human; where is the party?”
This escalating online feud has laid bare the frustrations within NUP leadership as they grapple with how to handle the political prisoners and ongoing government pressure.
The X spat underscores the broader difficulties the party faces in presenting a united front against political repression in Uganda, with internal divisions threatening to weaken their position.
Meanwhile, as the Ugandan government intensifies efforts to secure guilty pleas from the remaining detainees, the NUP's leadership crisis could further complicate their efforts to challenge the status quo.
The outcome of these internal rifts and external pressures will likely have long-term implications for the party’s cohesion and its ability to stand against President Museveni’s regime.
The fate of the remaining political prisoners—and the future direction of NUP—remains uncertain as the political battle continues both within and outside the party.
