For the next time this year the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) has had its flag bearer declared winner of Kyambogo University .
Emmanuel Andama becomes the 21st Guild President following Monday guild elections held at the university .
Andama collected 2,391 votes, defeating his sole rival, Tonney Bwete of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), who garnered 1,280 votes in the two-horse race.
The election was a by-election, held after the impeachment of former guild president Akiso Benjamin, also a NUP member , who was suspended in April and later removed from office over breach of peace at the university .
Andama’s victory cements NUP’s dominance in student leadership at Kyambogo University like it is the case at many universities across the country . NUP has proved an edge in university guild politics , winning top student leadership positions across various campuses, even amid expulsions, internal disputes, and disciplinary actions.
“Congratulations, comrade Andama Emmanuel, on your election as the 21st Guild President of Kyambogo University. Your victory is a clear manifestation that the struggle cannot be silenced,” NUP posted via its official X account on Monday evening.
In March 2025, Benjamin Akiso was elected Kyambogo guild president following protests against late registration fees. He was later suspended and then expelled over breach of peace and insubordination.
Despite that, NUP retained its influence: in the by-election on 15 September 2025, NUP’s Andama won the guild presidency, defeating the NRM candidate.
A month later, in April 2025, Lucky Ariho of NUP was elected the 37th Guild President of Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), still beating the NRM candidate.
At Makerere University, Churchill James Ssentamu, nephew of NUP’s principal Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine , was elected the 91st Guild President of Makerere in March 2025. Although he ran as an independent, he is closely tied to NUP, and his victory is widely seen as part of NUP’s influence at Uganda’s premier university.
With this growing appeal among the youthful voters, NUP’s political future appears good if its top leadership resolves internal contradictions