By KT Reporter
On Monday, 1bn was raised on first day on NUP’s fundraising for 2026 protest vote. MPs were the major contributors with each one of them giving an average of 10-15m.
The party wants to raise 9bn which secretary general Rubongoya says will be used to print 0.1m campaign t-shirts at 1.5bn, paying candidates nomination fees at 1.4bn and 1.2bn to facilitate vote protectors at the 34000 polling stations.
Rubongoya says in 2021 campaigns they suffered a lot because their candidate for president daily spent 10m which was very little and inadequate. He says this time there should be enough money to make sure the candidate doesn’t suffer like a pauper like last time.
It has emerged that NUP MPs feared to be blacklisted and each one of them had to go to the microphone and announce a big contribution. They feared not doing so would promote their opponents who were ready to talk big. They also feared that not contributing would reduce their chances at getting the NUP ticket.
So even when they are broke MPs and didn’t have much to offer, because they always give a maximum of 500k even in their constituencies at church fundraisings, the MPs had to talk big to please the principal who was seated there to see who the saboteurs are.
Some MPs tried begging from the speaker and when they didn’t get enough, they resorted to borrowing from the Indian money lender near parliament who was in big business on Monday.
One of the MPs from Makindye every month takes home only 6m because money lenders always take the rest but he contributed 15m. Another big man of the NUP caucus who has loans and every month takes home 9m ended up pledging 30m. And had to borrow the 10m he gave in cash at Kavule.
There is an MP from greater Masaka whose monthly take home is zero because money lenders take everything but had to go to the accountant of parliament to write for him a chit which he took to the Indian who lent him 10m which he gave after his spies at Kavule alerted him that his opponent had given 10m in cash.
Julius Katongole Mumiransanafu of Lubaga south is the man Kyagulanyi deployed to write down each and every contribution as another team commanded by Sauda Madada of Kampala central and Barbie’s sister received the cash from those who had it there and then. After getting the money paid, the contributor would be given a receipt and a certificate of appreciation. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
