Manjiya County Member of Parliament John Baptist Nambeshe has been appointed acting president of the National Unity Platform, replacing Dr Lina Zedriga Waru after four months in the position.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu announced the leadership change through his official social media platforms on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya said Nambeshe’s appointment took effect on Friday, July 17, as part of the party’s arrangements for managing its affairs whenever Kyagulanyi is outside the country.
Nambeshe has been serving as NUP deputy president in charge of the eastern region.
Kyagulanyi thanked Zedriga, the party’s deputy president for northern Uganda, for leading NUP during the previous four months.
He said Zedriga had guided the party well and remained committed to its political activities during her tenure.
“As her tenure comes to an end, I am pleased to announce that John Baptist Nambeshe, Deputy President Eastern Region, will be taking over as acting President,” Kyagulanyi said.
He asked NUP leaders and supporters to give Nambeshe the necessary cooperation as he takes charge of the party’s day-to-day leadership.
Kyagulanyi did not indicate how long Nambeshe would remain in the acting position.
The NUP leader is currently in the United States after leaving Uganda following the January 2026 general election. Kyagulanyi has said he left the country because he feared for his safety but intends to return and continue his political activities in Uganda.
Second time as acting president
This is the second time Nambeshe has been appointed acting NUP president.
He first held the position for three weeks in June 2021 when Kyagulanyi travelled outside Uganda for official engagements.
At the time, Nambeshe was serving as the Opposition Chief Whip in the 11th Parliament and had recently been appointed NUP deputy president for the eastern region.
His latest appointment comes as the party continues rotating acting leadership responsibilities among its regional deputy presidents during Kyagulanyi’s absence.
Who is John Baptist Nambeshe?
Nambeshe was born on November 24, 1965. Parliament lists him as a teacher by profession and the NUP Member of Parliament for Manjiya County in Bududa District.
He attended Shikhuyu Primary School before joining Bulucheke Senior Secondary School for his O-Level education and Nabumali High School for A-Level.
Nambeshe later studied at Uganda Martyrs University in Nkozi. He also attended Makerere University, where he obtained a Master of Arts in Social Sector Planning and Management in 2020.
Before joining active politics, Nambeshe worked as a teacher at Bududa Secondary School between 1989 and 1990.
He later worked as a laboratory technician at Jinja College from 1993 to 1999.
Rise through local government
Nambeshe entered elective politics in 2006 when he successfully contested for the position of LC3 chairperson of Bududa Town Council.
In 2011, he was elected chairperson of Bududa District Local Government.
He moved to national politics in 2016 after winning the Manjiya County parliamentary seat on the National Resistance Movement ticket.
While serving as an NRM legislator, Nambeshe was among the ruling party MPs who opposed the 2017 constitutional amendment that removed the presidential age limit.
He later left the NRM and joined the newly established National Unity Platform in 2020.
NUP subsequently appointed him deputy president responsible for mobilising and coordinating the party’s activities in eastern Uganda.
Nambeshe retained the Manjiya County parliamentary seat on the NUP ticket in the 2021 general election and was selected to serve as Opposition Chief Whip in the 11th Parliament.
He retained the constituency in the January 2026 elections and is now serving in the 12th Parliament.
Parliamentary Commissioner
Nambeshe was elected as one of Parliament’s four backbench commissioners on July 7, 2026.
He serves on the Parliamentary Commission alongside Faith Nakut, Susan Jolly Abeja and Jessica Ababiku.
The commission is responsible for the administration, policy direction and strategic management of Parliament.
Nambeshe is no longer the Opposition Chief Whip. That position in the 12th Parliament is held by Jinja City South West MP Paul Mwiru, who has been assigning opposition legislators to parliamentary committees.
His appointment as acting NUP president places him in charge of the party at a time when several senior opposition leaders are taking up new responsibilities in the recently constituted 12th Parliament.