By Infora Media
Kampala, Uganda — March 17, 2026
Musician-turned-politician Ronald Mayinja has accused Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of betraying him during the allocation of party tickets under the National Unity Platform (NUP) ahead of the January 2021 general election.
In an interview aired this week on a local television station, Mayinja claimed that he had initially been cleared by the party to contest for the Gomba East parliamentary seat, only for the ticket to later be reassigned to another candidate.
“I was already cleared and preparing to contest, but the ticket was taken away. That was betrayal,” Mayinja said.
He added that the decision was made without transparency and left him without a political platform at a critical moment in the electoral process.
Mayinja, who was among early supporters of the People Power movement before its transition into NUP, said the fallout stemmed from internal party processes during the highly competitive 2021 elections.
He alleged that attempts to seek clarification from party leadership did not yield satisfactory responses, further straining his relationship with the party.
The Gomba East race was one of several constituencies that attracted intense competition within opposition ranks, as political parties sought to front strong candidates against those aligned to the ruling establishment.
Once a vocal supporter of Kyagulanyi, Mayinja has since distanced himself from NUP and increasingly emerged as a critic of the party’s internal operations.
His remarks add to a series of public statements in which he has questioned the party’s commitment to internal democracy and fairness in candidate selection.
Political analysts say such disputes highlight the challenges opposition parties face in managing internal competition while maintaining unity.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the National Unity Platform leadership were unsuccessful by press time.
However, the party has previously maintained that its candidate selection processes are guided by structured internal mechanisms and consultations aimed at identifying suitable flag bearers.
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the party president, has in past statements emphasised the need for discipline and cohesion within party ranks.
The disagreement comes amid continued political realignments following the 2026 Ugandan general election, which saw Yoweri Museveni declared winner.
Kyagulanyi rejected the outcome, citing alleged irregularities, while calling for electoral reforms.
Observers note that internal disputes within opposition parties could affect their ability to present a united front in future electoral contests.