NUP MP Flag For Sale At Shs 300M!! Tensions Rise As MP Charles Tebandeke Alleges Corruption in Party Flag Process

Uganda’s leading opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), is once again under the spotlight—this time facing explosive accusations of internal corruption and favoritism. The storm was kicked up by Charles Tebandeke, the outspoken Member of Parliament for Bbale County in Kayunga District.

Tebandeke has gone public with serious concerns about the party’s Electoral Management Committee (EMC), which is tasked with selecting NUP flag bearers for the 2026 general elections. In a leaked video that has since gone viral, the MP doesn’t mince his words—he describes the EMC as “fake and corrupt,” alleging he was asked for a staggering Shs 300 million to retain the party flag.

“This committee is not transparent. They asked me for Shs 300 million just to be considered. This is no longer about merit—it’s about money,” Tebandeke says in the video. “We have been contributing Shs 1 million every month to the party as MPs, and now they want more? This is unacceptable.”

The timing of the video’s emergence added fuel to the fire—just hours earlier, Makindye East MP Derrick Nyeko, a well-known NUP figure, announced he was bowing out of the 2026 race. The back-to-back developments have intensified whispers of growing rifts and systemic rot within NUP’s ranks.

Tebandeke didn’t stop there. He took aim at what he sees as a fundamental betrayal of the party’s founding principles, bluntly stating that the NUP flag is now “something you buy,” rather than earn through dedication or popularity. He warned that if the current trend continues, he will be forced to take a new path.

“These are not the values we stood for. I refuse to pay a bribe. If they don’t give me the flag fairly, I will run independent,” he declared.

As of now, NUP leadership has remained silent on the matter. But Tebandeke’s allegations have ignited a fierce debate online, with both supporters and critics calling for answers—and a clean-up of the party’s internal processes.

Political analysts say this controversy could deal a major blow to NUP, a party that rose to national prominence on the promise of ending corruption and ushering in democratic reform. If the leadership fails to act swiftly, the fallout could hurt its credibility—and its performance in the 2026 elections.

With pressure mounting, the spotlight is now firmly on NUP’s top brass—and on what Charles Tebandeke does next.