Media commentator and politician Frank Gashumba has accused the National Unity Platform (NUP) and its president Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) of prioritizing financial gain over actual political power.
Speaking in an interview with a local television station, Gashumba reacted to NUP’s recent parliamentary victories, arguing that the party’s main goal in the 2026 election cycle was not to capture state power, but to increase its numbers in Parliament to qualify for more public funding.
According to Gashumba, Bobi Wine is a strategic businessman who understands how to benefit from political structures.
“Robert Kyagulanyi is a very smart business person. He always looks at profits first. He is now comfortable because he secured over fifty Members of Parliament.
He is for business gains, not political power,” Gashumba said.
Gashumba further claimed that NUP’s participation in elections was aimed at maximizing its share of funding from the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).
Under amendments to the Political Parties and Organisations Act in 2025, political parties with parliamentary representation are required to be members of IPOD in order to receive public funding. The amount of funding a party receives is determined by the number of seats it holds in Parliament.