The National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Osbert Kato has defected to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Kato had initially sought to contest the Ruhinda North parliamentary seat on the NUP ticket, where he would have challenged Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
He was officially welcomed by President Yoweri Museveni at Kirambi Market Grounds in Mitooma District.
“I’m very happy to see my young brother, Kato Osbert—who had expressed interest in contesting against me for the Ruhinda North Parliamentary seat on the NUP ticket—joining NRM together with several opposition coordinators,” Tayebwa said.
According to Tayebwa, Kato is a bright young man whose family has been close to him for some time, and he is confident Kato will add value to NRM’s mobilization efforts.
Kato’s departure adds to a growing list of NUP withdrawals, which have increasingly cleared the path for NRM candidates to proceed unchallenged ahead of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for May 2026.
Among those declared unopposed are the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among (Bukedea District Woman MP), and her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North). Others include Kirungi Annet Pamela (Kabarole District Woman MP), Lillian Paparu Obiale (Arua Woman MP), and Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (Kiruhura Woman MP).
In Mbarara, two female NUP candidates—Provia Bakazi (Rwemigyina Ward) and Hellen Kembaga (Biharwe, Mbarara Municipality)—recently withdrew from the local council elections, citing unfulfilled party commitments, financial constraints, and lack of campaign support.
In October 2025, Florence Asio, the NUP flag bearer expected to contest against Speaker Anita Among, failed to appear for nominations and did not communicate with the party, effectively clearing the way for Among to be nominated unopposed.
Asio later claimed she stepped down due to family pressure. She was subsequently presented at an NRM rally in November, where she told President Museveni that she had never been a member of NUP but had always belonged to NRM.
