The race for NUP Parliamentary Commissioner: who has an upper hand?

As days loom toward the constitution of the twelfth parliament in May, there are several voices within the opposition National Unity Platform party that have already shown interest in taking up the position of the parliamentary commissioner. We give you an in depth analysis of who is interested and why each has an upper advantage.

1. Andrew Kiiza Kaluya:

The Kigulu South MP elect is a senior lawmaker who previously served in the tenth parliament that is remembered for passing the age limit Bill. Hon. Kaluya, then an NRM MP rebelled against the caucus position and voted against Museveni’s life presidency which would eventually cost him a parliamentary seat in the 2021 polls. Despite all this, Kaluya did not back down and he indeed joined the National Unity Platform party in 2023 and was eventually declared the party’s secretary for mobilization in Eastern Uganda, taking over from troubled Moses Bigirwa. Hon. Kaluya has been working tooth and nail to deliver significant victories for NUP in the Eastern region and indeed all the 8 parliamentary slots scooped by the party are credited to him. The Busoga factor coupled with the 8 parliamentary seats won for NUP and his parliamentary seniority place Kaluya at the apex of the odds for attaining the parliamentary commission seat. Though he has not formally expressed his interest in the position, Hon. Kaluya has pulled public support from NUP members who believe he deserves the position.

2. Muwadda Nkunyingi:

The Kyadondo East MP who currently serves as the shadow Foreign Affairs Minister in the eleventh Parliament has informed his confidants about his desire to occupy the parliamentary commission office. Although he enjoys a healthy relationship with the party, Hon. Muwadda is disadvantaged by the fact that the Leader of the Opposition is likely to be appointed from Buganda.

3. Zahra Luyirika Maala

The Makindye West MP elect has already announced her intention to take over the office of parliamentary commissioner despite being a first time MP. Luyirika, a scandalous leader whose record at KCCA has placed her at a disadvantage is also said to have been one of the few NUP MPs that attended the recently held Iftar dinner at speaker Anita Among’s private residence. Luyirika is counting on the gender and religious card, and is quoted to have said that if “the Leader of Opposition is a male Christian then the commissioner should be a female Muslim.” She vowed to use any amount of money to woo Kavule into giving her the position. Luyirika’s poor performance at KCCA and her double dealings with the state make her a bad choice for NUP at parliament especially when the NRM is likely to retain Anita Among as speaker

Kawalya Abubaker

The Lubaga North MP had been secretly lobbying for the position but his active involvement in the activities of the speaker Anita Among have killed his dream at inception. Hon. Kawalya is one of the NUP MPs that attended Anita Among’s Iftar dinner and he was seen in the pictures that leaked on the internet and this steered bad blood with Kavule rendering him ineligible to be considered for that lucrative job.