Why NUP is a Proper Reflection of Bobi Wine’s Hit Song ‘Kiwani’

There was a hype in the country over the emergence of people power movement on the political scene, especially after it merged with the NUP party earlier this year, right from NUP members and sympathizers on how strong the new organization was ready even to challenge the incumbent president and official NRM party presidential flag bearer come 2021.

Some years back a one Bobi Wine sang a song with a title ‘kiwani’ and it was a hit on Uganda’s airwaves, however, no one knew what a kiwani was, he even staked some money to be won by whoever came up with the meaning of the song, and indeed no one took the priced money because only Bobi Wine knew what he meant, but the catch message in the song and its video was of someone who was struggling to make ends meet, and thought of the way to dupe the public by alleging that he had lost a dear one so that he could use the condolence funds to survive, but the end wasn’t as he had planned despite the fact that he got the money as it’s our custom in African to support the bereaved with social support in terms of money (amabugo).

Fast forward ever since Bobi accidentally became an MP of Kyadondo as a result of “omubi akila ebanga politics” that was played by NRM and other parties, he has tried to outshine the old guard on the political arena. We all remember how with the help of one white lady authored letters in response to whatever statement or action from the president of Uganda, and then he was everywhere a by-election was held and that’s how he ended up causing a scene in Arua that catapulted him into the hands of LGBTQ community abroad. These handled his legal proceedings and started organizing his travels and foreign interviews in the guise of treating a smashed kidney as long as he danced to their tune and promised to allow them to have freedoms to do as they wished in Uganda which they saw as a hostile to their activities.

He made several statements and the funders promised to bankroll his political activities in Uganda, thereafter a new political Kiwani was born just like the musical Kiwani, a new means of survival was presented to him and he needed to sell it to unsuspecting Kiwani listeners. He decided to abandon his parliamentary seat and attempt a presidency but he needed a platform of his own, since political party leaders wouldn’t leave the stage for him the newcomer, that is how he endeared himself to the cause of the youth and promised them a crown, thus a myth was started that would, later on, develop cracks.

This myth saw a number of political scavengers /meal card politicians abandon their old political parties to the new formation, giving a distorted impression that NUP is here to finish off other parties and presented a new and desired political narrative and can even win 2021 election, using the new youthful voters, especially in town councils as a constituency.

Actually, most of these crossings from old opposition parties are by leaders who represent urban centers, who saw a new wave that would ensure that their next political meal card has a signature. However, the internal wrangling coupled with nepotism and lack of a clear political ideology and party principles made many realize how wrong they were in the first place when they put their trust in a political Kiwani.

The just-concluded selection process of flag bearers has left many wondering how they could have put their trust in such a formation and many who ran to NUP in anticipation of a flag, are very disappointed at how things ran in that place and the lack of political seriousness as exhibited during their flag bearer’s selection process, where seasoned politicians were left out for experimentation purpose as long as the one is given the flag kisses Bobi’s shoes with no question asked. Actually, the criterion was how one is loyal to Bobi and how much one has financially contributed to his cause not how popular or his likelihood to win an election, but loyalty to the leaders and what they called a struggle, this rightly explains why they chose the selection method as opposed to direct primaries that would subject their chosen candidates to the chopping board of the masses.

And for this matter, many seasoned politicians who are crying foul have sworn to campaign as independents something that has put them and NUP group to a collision course, as they will be exposing how unpopular the NUP leadership`s choice of candidates come 2021 when their fate will be decided by the same people they attempted to avoid.

So as we head for 2021, those who believed in a well-packaged Kiwani will either be on NUPs ticket or independent NUP leaning, and they will soon all realized how deceived they all were and how gullible they, as Bobi will be smiling all the way to the bank as they pay debts incurred during the campaign period.

Hence as the ending was in the music video of Kiwani song, we await the ending script of the political Kiwani for those who never saw through the LIE.

Mr Paddy Kayondo is a Political analysts