Mityana Woman Member of Parliament, Joyce Bagala, has said that she has been a close friend of Mathias Mpuuga—and that will not change.
Speaking in an interview on the NBS FaceOff show, Bagala emphasized that she is not a pretentious person who abandons friends because of political affiliations. She stated that Mpuuga is her friend and that they have worked closely together over the years.
“I work with many other people who do not subscribe to the National Unity Platform (NUP), like Mpuuga, Kizza Besigye, and Ssemujju Nganda,” Bagala said.
Asked why she remains in NUP rather than joining Mpuuga’s new party, the Democratic Front (DF), Bagala explained that while she has a good working relationship with Mpuuga, it does not mean she is obligated to follow his political path.
“I am in NUP and he is in DF, but we are friends—and that will not change. I relate with him positively,” she said.
Bagala is among several NUP members who have picked nomination forms to defend their seats on the NUP ticket, despite having had a history of strained relations with the party.
She has faced accusations of disregarding party directives and maintaining a close relationship with Mpuuga, the former Leader of the Opposition, who has since fallen out with the NUP leadership.
Bagala’s main challenger for the NUP ticket in the Mityana District Woman MP race is Prossy Mukisa, popularly known as Nabbosa, a close ally of Mityana Municipality MP and senior NUP leader Francis Zaake.
Whoever secures the party’s nomination will face Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Nabakooba lost the seat to Bagala in 2021 but is reportedly actively mobilising for a comeback, with substantial financial support behind her campaign.
