Bobi Wine Invites Kadaga To Join NUP, Says She Is Undervalued In NRM

National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has called on former Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to leave the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and join the opposition.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new NUP regional offices in Iganga, Kyagulanyi told supporters that Kadaga has not been accorded the respect she deserves despite her decades of loyalty to the NRM.

“I want to send a message to my Senga, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga. To many she is Mama, but to me she is Senga because we both belong to the Mbogo clan. Those people do not value her,” Kyagulanyi said.

“Here, among the forces of change, she will be loved, respected, and honored the way she deserves.”

Kadaga, currently the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, has recently been at the center of internal party tensions. She is contesting against current Speaker Anita Among for the influential NRM national female vice chairperson position, a bid complicated by President Museveni’s recent caution to her against what he termed “self-entitlement.”

Positioning NUP as Kadaga’s natural political home, Bobi Wine argued that Busoga’s future lies with change rather than what he described as “disrespect from the regime.” He reminded residents that NUP has deep roots in the region and urged them to rally behind the party.

“This party belongs to the people of Busoga. Guard it, cherish it, and support it because its foundation is right here,” he said.

Opposition insiders suggest that if Kadaga were to cross to NUP, she would likely secure a senior leadership role with influence, international exposure, and greater recognition than what she currently enjoys in government.

Bobi Wine’s public appeal marks a rare direct call to a senior NRM figure, signaling his strategy to attract disillusioned ruling party leaders ahead of an increasingly heated political season.