By Swift Reporter
The National Unity Platform (NUP) last evening suffered what political observers are already describing as one of its most humiliating setbacks since its formation, after its much-anticipated campaign rally in Mbarara District collapsed into a poorly attended event, an outcome widely attributed to the strategic political groundwork laid by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) District Chairperson, Prosper Tuhaise Kururagire.
For weeks, NUP leaders had projected confidence, repeatedly boasting of their ability to pull massive crowds across the country during the ongoing presidential campaigns. However, that narrative came crashing down in Rubindi Town, today, where party president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, addressed what insiders described as the smallest audience the party has ever attracted in a public rally.
Sources within NUP revealed that Kyagulanyi was visibly shocked by the turnout and even contemplated cancelling the rally altogether to avoid public embarrassment. According to the same sources, the number of local residents who turned up to listen to him excluding security personnel and party officials did not exceed 80 people.
This account was further corroborated by images shared on Kyagulanyi’s own social media platforms, which showed small, scattered groups of listeners as he attempted to deliver his message of protest vote and change.
The Prosper Factor
A deeper probe into the sudden disappearance of NUP’s usually vocal youth base in Mbarara points squarely to the calculated and tireless mobilization efforts of Prosper Tuhaise Kururagire, a seasoned grassroots organiser and one of the NRM’s most formidable political tacticians in western Uganda.
For days leading up to the NUP rally, Tuhaise had been actively engaging youth groups across multiple parishes and sub-counties in Mbarara, including Rubindi, Bubaare, Bukiro, Kashare, Kagongi, and Rubaya. Through consultative meetings, empowerment engagements, and direct interaction with community leaders, he urged young people to reject what he termed “politics of anger and deception” and instead embrace the NRM’s development-driven agenda.
Political analysts note that Tuhaise’s approach was not confrontational, but strategic, targeting NUP’s strongest pillar, the youth, and offering them a competing narrative anchored in stability, opportunity, and continuity.
“Prosper understands politics at the grassroots better than most,” said one senior NRM mobiliser in Mbarara. “He doesn’t wait for rallies; he goes to the people, listens to them, and earns their trust.”
Museveni Message Resonates
Tuhaise consistently reminded the youth that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni remains deeply invested in their future, emphasizing ongoing and planned initiatives aimed at job creation, enterprise development, and skills training, particularly after the 2026 elections.
Interestingly, even Kyagulanyi himself appeared to indirectly acknowledge this reality during his address, allegedly remarking that many people had failed to attend because they were already “benefiting from government programmes and some were bought off”, a statement that further reinforced the perception that the ruling party’s message had struck home.
Visible Conversions and Renewed Energy
Videos obtained by this publication show Tuhaise addressing large gatherings on the eve of the NUP rally, openly campaigning for President Museveni and calling on Ugandans to reward him with another term in recognition of his decades-long contribution to national stability and development.
In the footage, enthusiastic youths are seen receiving NRM party materials, including yellow T-shirts, and publicly declaring their shift of allegiance. Some were heard openly criticising NUP and its leadership, accusing the opposition of exploiting youthful frustration without offering tangible solutions.
Prosper Tuhaise Kururagire’s influence is further underscored by his personal investment in party infrastructure, including the construction of a modern NRM office in Mbarara using his own resources, an act many within the party cite as proof of his unwavering loyalty and belief in the NRM ideology.
Described by colleagues as a “magical mobiliser,” Tuhaise has once again demonstrated that political success is built long before the rally stage, through organisation, persuasion, and relentless grassroots engagement.
A Record-Setting Moment
It is now on record that under Prosper Tuhaise’s stewardship as NRM District Chairperson, NUP and its leader experienced their most significant audience embarrassment in Mbarara. For many observers, the episode stands as a clear reminder that effective political mobilisation is not about social media noise or rhetoric, but about strategy, structure, and deep community roots.
As the 2026 campaigns gather momentum, Prosper Tuhaise Kururagire has firmly positioned himself as one of the NRM’s most effective political assets, and a key architect of the party’s dominance in Mbarara District.
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