Since the National Unity Platform (NUP) accused Mpuuga of engaging in acts of “corruption and abuse of office,” having received 500 million shillings, together with members of the NRM Parliamentary Commission, from the 1.7 billion shillings as “service awards”, there has been a lot of bickering, and infighting within the NUP. Political pressure has been mounted against the Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, which dynamics have shaken the NUP grassroots, with divisions of pro-Mpuuga and anti-Mpuuga camps.
First, it was the reshuffle that saw Mpuuga removed as Leader of Opposition in Parliament, it was pressure to resign from the position of commissioner, and now pressure is mounting that he should exit the NUP.
This whole saga, has portrayed Hon. Mpuuga’s actions as a drift off from “an invisible code of conduct”, which remains a fallacy. This standoff within NUP, almost swallowed the current leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi over per diem and travel allowances as he visited the ailing Hon. Muhamad Ssegirinya at a Nairobi based Hospital. Meanwhile, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda got himself shadow boxing, having been busted on social media over extravagant benefits accrued from parliamentary funds.
Although, among the two aforementioned opposition strongmen, the issue did not heighten as much as Hon. Mpuuga.
What then is so peculiar about Hon. Mpuuga’s act?
This oddness of Hon. Mpuuga, resonates well with the Busoga meaning of the name Mpuuga. In Busoga, especially among the cattle keeping communities.
Mpuuga is literally translated as “obuwuuga”; which translates to English as “drifting off/wandering/straying”. It is a name given to cows that have the habit of wandering off the herd. These cows, break barricades, and eat up gardens. They are peculiar, and can fly over a fence. They are fearless, courageous, and daring. They also have a nomadic character that can make them migrate to a neighbor’s herd, and move from herd to herd even when not on heat.
In the NUP-Mpuuga debacle, Mpuuga is being categorized such a “Cow”, and or pressurized to submit into the Kisoga connotation of the name, especially by those imputing his exit from NUP.
Mpuuga’s affirmation that; “he has no intentions of splitting from the very party he founded with his colleagues,” is a total bailout on his part not to prove to be Mpuuga! Otherwise he would fit right into the proverbial Cow; Mpuuga!
NUP protagonists, have equally accused Mpuuga of being an NRM stooge making Mpuuga look first as a political passion fruit that is; red outside yet very yellow inside and secondly; as a spotted political leopard. Thus echoing the Bunyoro meaning of Mpuuga; the spotted/mixed skin. You will recall that; Isingoma Rukidi Mpuuga (about 1500), was the first Biito King (Omukama Omubiito) of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom and the twin brother of Kato Kimera, the first Biito king of Muhwahwa (now Buganda) Kingdom. When the Bachwezi rulers left Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom without an heir to succeed them, the elders who were left behind in the kingdom went to northern Uganda to get the eldest son of Prince Kyomya, called Isingoma Mpuuga Rukidi, to crown him king of Bunyoro-KitaraKingdom.
Isingoma Rukiidi Mpuuga was a son of Omucwezi/Prince Kyomya Rwa-Isimbwa of Kitara and Lady Nyatworo daughter of Rwot Labongo a Luo (Acholi) chief of the Kwonga clan. So, because he was mixed blood, he was named Mpuuga, meaning the mixed/spotted skin.
That being the case, what are the underlying questions about this whole NUP-Mpuuga fiasco; that NUP leadership leaves unanswered?
Is there an illegality question in the whole issue of Mpuuga taking the 500Million out of the service awards?
If NUP recommended and appointed the Hon. Mpuuga as commissioner and leader of opposition, were there Terms of Reference given to all NUP appointees before that Mpuuga has fallen short of?
Does NUP have a leadership code of conduct that stipulates boundaries of taking up such offices?
Besides; were the appointed leaders under any oath of allegiance; committing themselves not to take any benefits that accrue from such offices as appointed?
If NUP can address such queries in the affirmative, then we can conclude that Hon. Mathias Mpuuga played to the meaning of his name both in Busoga, and Bunyoro.
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