The National Unity Platform (NUP) is facing escalating turmoil in Mbarara City after two more candidates, Provia Kikazi (Rwemigina Ward) and Kembaga Hellen (Biharwe West) announced their withdrawal from the 2026 elections, citing the party’s failure to support their campaigns.
Their exit comes just hours after Hon. Peter Mpaka pulled out of the Mbarara City MP race and quit NUP, accusing party president Robert Kyagulanyi of refusing to offer any logistical support and instead allegedly advising him to “sell my house” to finance his campaign.
In a joint statement, Kikazi and Hellen said they were recruited into NUP by Mpaka himself, but after watching him abandon the party over lack of funding and after failing to receive any facilitation from NUP they have also chosen to withdraw from the race and discard their party membership.
“Mpaka brought us into NUP. But if even the person who recruited us has quit because of empty promises, what are we still doing here?” the two women said. “We were also told there was logistical support for candidates. That support never came.”
Kikazi and Hellen say they cannot continue in a race where the party expects candidates to shoulder all expenses without backing. They accuse the NUP leadership of misleading aspirants into believing that the party would fund strategic campaigns in Mbarara.
Their decisions add to growing unrest within NUP structures in Mbarara City North Division, where aspirants say the party’s top leadership especially Kyagulanyi and Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya have communicated that there are “no funds to support any candidate.”
Mpaka, who formally notified both NUP and the Electoral Commission of his exit, warned party loyalists against claiming he was bribed by the ruling NRM. He maintains his withdrawal was purely due to lack of campaign resources and unfulfilled promises from NUP.
The departure of the three candidates has left NUP’s presence in Mbarara City severely weakened, raising questions about the party’s internal coordination, preparedness for 2026, and ability to retain credibility among grassroots aspirants.
Analysts predict more resignations may follow if the party fails to address concerns of unfunded candidates across the country.
