Inside NUP's forged constitution Part 1: How Kibalama team was sacked from leadership
For long a time, there have been disparities, back and forth infighting between the founder members of the National Unity Platform and the current leaders of the Party, led by former Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, Mr. David Lewis Rubongoya the Secretary General of NUP and the head of the informal sector, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, among others.
The disparities have, on several occasions, been addressed with accusations and counter accusations amongst both groups, each accusing the other of theft, being unfair and crooks waiting to steal from the party.
However, Entebbe Post has learnt about the genesis of the problems that left the Kibalama faction of NUP angry, hungry and armed to the dot, to have Kyagulanyi and team relinquish power as leaders of the National Unity platform Political party.
According to documents seen by this website, the National Unity Platform now has three constitutions, for which is referred to each time anything is being done by either side.
The constitutions include, the original constitution for which the Uganda Registration Services Bureau has, supplied to all entities including the Electoral Commission just after a memorandum of understanding between the People Power Movement and the National Unity and Reconciliation Party, singled by Secretary Generals on either side, Simbwa Paul Kagombe, from NURP and David Lewis Rubongoya from the People Power Movement.
The Original NUP Constitution However, after taking a tight grip on the party, the People Power Movement team moved to start eliminating the Kibalama faction from the group, which also held powerful positions in the party such as that of the Senior Administrative Secretary held by Simbwa at that time.
"They thought the team would become a problem and, slowly, they started a plan that would see the group eliminated from the leadership of the party," a source from the party headquarters told this website.
Among the plans, the Secretary General Mr. David Lewis Rubongoya together with the head of the informal sector Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu started the creation of a new constitution which was later smuggled to the Electoral Commission through the Secretary's office and changed the old one.
All constitutions this website has seen indicate, several sections of the Party leadership including the colors of the Party Flag, and powers of the President of the party were all changed to suit the current NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu with powers to appoint and sack all members of the National Executive board as he deems right yet the original constitution only allows for delegates to elect members of the National Executive board.
All Political Parties ought to operate within the conformity of their constitution according to the Political Parties & Organizations Act, 2005.
However, because Political parties are Public Institutions and are meant to account to the public on how they conduct their businesses, anyone who seeks for a party constitution more so party members are entitled to do so. When new members join a party, they are usually given membership instruments such as party card & constitution.
However, this is not the case with the National Unity Platform (NUP). Ever since Mr. Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi wine was elected flag bearer of NUP in 2020, there has been a deliberate move to conceal party constitution. Members of the party have severally asked the Party administrators to avail them this constitution with the purpose of acquainting themselves with the party ideology and to get a better understanding of the mode of operation and internal democratic processes within the party.
The allegedly forged constitution at the EC "I have severally tried accessing the constitution at the party headquarters but all in vain, I was always told it is under amendment review" A frustrated former NUP flag bearer at Kamwokya explained.
In the new constitution said to be forged, the President of the Party acts as the chief operating officer of the party and yet in the original constitution, the vice president is also the head of administration of the Party and the President only acts as a flag bearer and gives strategic guidance to the party.
Also, changes include the organs of the party including the National Congress, the Executive board among other issues. "And that is how Mr. Kyagulanyi managed to abandon the Kibalama faction which had the head of research and the Senior Administrative Secretary who would man secretariat with the Vice President," a senior member of the party told this website.
Records also indicate that the Party under the true constitution is supposed to have one Vice President and regional coordinators and not four Deputy Presidents.
How the constitution was changed
At the beginning of the impasse between the two factions in October 2020, several leaders from the Kyagulanyi faction started orchestrating plans of clearly eliminating Kibalama, Simbwa and the team from the party leadership for allegedly being over demanding of the strict adherence to a Memorandum of understanding signed between the two groups.
Later, it was agreed institutionally to change the constitution in total disregard of protocol and the law. The Law and the original NUP constitution stipulate that amendments of the Party constitution are passed by the National Congress.
The signed original copy of the constitution that was allegedly illegally changed at the Electoral Commission A new constitution was later sneaked into the NUP file at the Electoral Commission and an old one disregarded, with the help of attendants in the office of the Secretary to the commission Leonard Mulekwah.
This was later confirmed by Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu alias Chairman Nyanzi, in negotiations over party ownership last year. The negotiations were also attended by the Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, the Treasurer, Counsel Benjamine Katana and the Kibalama team was represented by Moses Nkonge Kibalama and Ssimbwa Paul Kagombe.
Nyanzi was forced to accept the illegality after being pressed hard on why they engaged in the illegal trade. He said they had no option but to safeguard their interests in the Party since they were facing attacks.
Even after agreeing on rectifying the mistakes in mid last year, the Kamwokya team refused to repair the unmakings and ended up completely abandoning Kibalama, Ssimbwa and their team. "They even agreed to shame the team by calling them crooks," a source at the Party headquarters told this website.
At the time this website discovered that the party constitution copy that the Independent Uganda Electoral Commission retained is a forged one, the Kamwokya team could not readily avail a copy of the constitution for verification.
However, a copy this website received from the Electoral Commission totally differs from the original copy.
When contacted, the National Unity Platform Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya did not offer clarity on the allegations.
He however asked this website to get to the NUP office in Kamwokya for a copy of such constitution.
In the second series, this website will make comparisons and share each article as it was changed from the original constitution unlawfully.
entebbepost@gmai.com
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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"
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