The Unopposed Scandal: Inside the Dealings That Silenced Kabarole’s Opposition, Why Bobi Hates Rubaga South MP Aloysius Mukasa

Outgoing Fort Portal City treasury officer Annet Pamela Kirungi, long known as a close personal friend of Local Government Minister Raphael Magezi, has now smoothly ascended into the position of Kabarole District Woman MP (2026–2031). Her victory is so decisive that she is essentially waiting for only one thing: to be sworn in.

This unusual political glide came after Lillian Kobugabe, the candidate fronted by Robert Kyagulanyi’s NUP, abruptly cooled off, lost enthusiasm, and ultimately abandoned the race she had initially embraced.

Kobugabe’s political retreat began with a jolt of controversy. She startled both supporters and the NUP establishment when she suddenly announced that she would not be running on the NUP ticket as expected, but rather as an independent candidate. By the time she made this declaration, it was too late for Kavule (NUP headquarters) to source and prepare an alternative flagbearer.

For several weeks, Kobugabe maintained this stance, branding herself as an independent. Then, in another twist, she pulled out of the race altogether. This exit cleared the runway for Kirungi—who had already beaten Minister Victoria Rusoke in the NRM primaries—to sail through unopposed.

And that is why Kirungi now stands poised to begin her parliamentary journey, with some insiders joking that she is ready to “begin eating things up to 2031.” Many political observers even believe she stands a strong chance of being appointed a Minister—if President Museveni wins—possibly replacing Rusoke. Despite her ministerial stature, Rusoke has repeatedly faced rejection from voters and suffered electoral losses, a pattern that has raised eyebrows within NRM circles.

But the real question still lingered in political corridors: How did Annet Pamela Kirungi become unopposed so easily, especially in a season where other strong NRM cadres are battling fierce opposition?

The answer lies deeply entangled with the frustrations of moneybag Aloysius Mukasa, a wealthy businessman of FACCO and the current Rubaga South MP. Mukasa had ridden on the massive Kyagulanyi wave that swept Buganda in 2021, capturing his seat with ease. Over the years, he had also maintained a close friendship with Kyagulanyi’s sister Catherine Namuleme.

However, by 2026, things had taken a drastic turn. Mukasa was rejected for the NUP flag, which instead went to Euginia Nassolo, a popular figure who had previously contested under the DP ticket.

Refusing to step aside, Mukasa launched an aggressive and very public assault on both NUP and its Principal. He declared that he would seek re-election as a NUP-leaning independent, even after Kyagulanyi firmly warned independents against associating themselves with NUP or the People Power brand. To some voters, Kyagulanyi referred to such independents as traitors, urging supporters to treat them with the same hostility reserved for NRM operatives.

Mukasa then escalated the tension by accusing Nassolo of financial impropriety, claiming he had paid her hundreds of millions in 2021 to withdraw the election petition she had filed challenging his first victory.

Even earlier, Mukasa had rattled the party by appearing on CBS and BBS TV, where he controversially claimed that he had secured the NUP ticket in 2021 only after parting with a lot of money. This revelation severely damaged his standing among key decision-makers at Kavule.

With his influence waning and his relationship with NUP fracturing, Mukasa still had one more card to play—one that would shake Kabarole politics.

A well-funded incumbent with abundant resources, Mukasa leveraged his financial strength to influence the political trajectory of his partner, Lillian Kobugabe, who had secured the NUP flag for the Kabarole Woman MP seat. He directed her to sever ties with NUP, making this a condition for continued campaign funding from him.

Obliging, Kobugabe denounced NUP, informed the Electoral Commission that she would run as an independent, and shortly afterward withdrew from the race entirely, citing lack of resources to compete against a well-facilitated NRM candidate like Kirungi.

Her withdrawal effectively handed Kirungi the parliamentary seat on a silver platter, allowing the NRM hopeful to walk into Parliament without expending effort in a competitive campaign.

NUP leadership—especially Bobi Wine, Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, and the entire Ssentamu establishment—were left enraged. Sources close to them insist that their anger toward Aloysius Mukasa is so deep that they may never forgive him.

The fallout from the Kabarole withdrawal delivered damaging publicity to the NUP brand, triggering a wave of similar defections across the country where NUP had hoped to mount serious challenges against NRM candidates.

As for Mukasa, he continues to campaign vigorously in Rubaga. In a bid for redemption, he has invested heavily in erecting Kyagulanyi posters everywhere, hoping these public displays of loyalty might someday soften the hardened hearts at Kavule and pave his way back into the NUP fold.