Moses Nkonge Kibalama, the founder of the National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURDP), which is now known as the National Unity Platform (NUP) under the leadership of Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, has withdrawn his court case challenging the party’s constitution. Kibalama cited reconciliation and unity as his primary motivations for this decision.
Earlier, Kibalama claimed that Bobi Wine had promised him $5 million to hand over the NUP, but later accused him of dishonesty and said he could no longer continue dealing with him.
At the end of 2018, the People Power legal team tried to register the name “People Power” as a political entity. However, they discovered the name had already been flagged, preventing its registration. Since then, the group continued to operate as a political and social movement advocating for change.
Kibalama asserted that a section of the NURDP met with Bobi Wine after he failed to register a political party. “We were 41 members who sat together and agreed in principle to change NURDP to NUP, making the name more accessible to ordinary people. However, we did not sell the idea to Bobi Wine,” he said.
In July 2020, Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu, who also serves as the patron of the People Power Movement, launched a political party called the National Unity Platform (NUP), with an umbrella as its symbol.
Kibalama has since expressed frustration, stating that as the founder, his views were ignored by the Kamwokya-based political party. He believes the party has deviated from its original path. “We formed and registered this party in 2004, not knowing that Bobi Wine would later join. The party has its own constitution, which he claims was altered to suit the interests of one individual. Our party was flourishing, and it will continue to thrive—even without him,” Kibalama emphasized.
He also mentioned that the party’s leadership had promised them lucrative positions, which, according to Kibalama, have not materialized. He stated that he plans to reclaim control of the party.
In August 2020, former NURDP members Basile Difas and Hassan Twaha dragged Kibalama and others to court, accusing them of selling the party to Bobi Wine and subsequently changing its name and leadership.
In 2019, Kibalama and other party members applied to the Electoral Commission to change the party name from NURP to NUP. However, the application was objected to. It was also revealed that in 2012 and 2013, they had attempted to rename the party the Independent National Unity Party, but their application was rejected.
