The political future of Kampala District Woman Representative Shamim Malende has come under scrutiny even before the 12th Parliament begins its legislative work, with growing questions about her relationship with leaders of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Signs of tension within the party emerged during Malende’s rare appearance at NUP headquarters during the unveiling of Jinja South East MP Paul Mwiru as the party’s candidate for Speaker of Parliament. While introducing her, event emcee Flavia Nabagabe Kalule expressed hope that Malende would continue participating in party activities.
“We hope she will remain with us in the coming days,” said Kalule, who lost the Kassanda District Woman Representative seat earlier this year.
Since retaining her Kampala District Woman Representative seat in the January elections, Malende has largely remained out of the public eye. She has neither attended party functions nor publicly explained her absence. According to reports, she left the country shortly after her re-election to seek specialized medical treatment and only resurfaced publicly around the time of her swearing-in.
Sources within NUP say her prolonged absence has raised concerns among party supporters despite her explanation that she has been unwell.
“We are not convinced that she is just sick,” one party foot soldier said on condition of anonymity.
The uncertainty surrounding Malende’s position reportedly became so significant that some NUP members expected her to defy the party and attend President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Independence Grounds last month. Although she ultimately did not attend, some within the party say they are no longer factoring her into future plans.
“We had got information that she would join those celebrations, but she eventually didn’t attend. We don’t plan with her for the future,” a party member said anonymously.
Party insiders also point to a growing pool of potential successors, including Shamim Nambassa, the former Makerere University Guild President who was recently elected Woman LC5 Councillor for Kawempe South at Kampala Capital City Authority.
By the final stages of the previous parliamentary term, some NUP leaders had already begun exploring alternatives to Malende. One indication was the party’s encouragement of Zahara Maala Luyirika to shift her focus from Makindye West and instead consider contesting for the Kampala woman representative seat.
At the time, Luyirika maintained that she was not challenging Malende personally.
“We are in a democratic country, and NUP is a democratic party. I’m not standing against my sister Shamim Malende. I saw a vacuum, and I’m stepping up to fill it,” she said.
She added that her experience as Speaker of Kampala Capital City Council had prepared her for a greater leadership role.
While receiving treatment in Nairobi, Kenya, Malende responded to speculation about her political future by launching campaign activities across Kampala, displaying posters carrying NUP’s “protest vote” slogan. The move was widely interpreted as a signal that she intended to retain the party ticket despite internal discussions.
Throughout much of her first parliamentary term, Malende battled health challenges that frequently kept her away from active political engagement. Nevertheless, she remained determined to seek re-election and continued communicating with voters from her hospital bed.
One such intervention came during debate surrounding amendments to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act. Speaking from hospital, Malende opposed proposals that would allow civilians to be tried in military courts.
“I concur with the Supreme Court that civilians shouldn’t be tried in the Court Martial. If the State suspects that civilians have done something wrong, they should be taken to a civilian court. We know that many people, including the president, [Robert] Kyagulanyi, have been threatened with being taken to the basement to learn Runyankore,” she said.
Despite concerns over her health, NUP leaders eventually accepted that removing her from the race could appear insensitive.
“It would look insensitive if you dumped her right now. How can a party dump a party member just because she is sick?” a senior party official said in late 2025.
Malende has consistently linked her health struggles to injuries she says were sustained during political activities.
“I was beaten during the standoff in Parliament as we rejected the Coffee Bill. I have had operations here in Nairobi, and I think I will recover,” she said.
As party leaders worked to accommodate Malende’s candidacy, they reorganized several other constituencies. Ali Nganda Kasirye, commonly known as Mulyannyama, was moved to Makindye East, while Luyirika was assigned Makindye West. Malende retained the Kampala woman representative ticket.
The strategy ultimately paid off for NUP, with all three candidates winning their respective races in the January elections.
Malende’s current predicament mirrors that of her predecessor, Nabilah Naggayi Sempala, who also experienced a strained relationship with her political party after facing criticism over her performance as Kampala Woman MP.
Naggayi’s fallout with the Forum for Democratic Change intensified ahead of the 2016 elections, when party leaders accused her of being too close to former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi following his split from President Museveni.
Although Naggayi eventually retained the seat with 174,125 votes, tensions persisted. Her relationship with party leaders further deteriorated after she was absent from key opposition campaigns, including protests against the removal of presidential age limits from the Constitution.
Years later, NUP’s rise transformed Kampala’s political landscape, and Malende secured victory in 2021 with 314,865 votes, defeating several rivals.
However, the beginning of her second term has brought fresh challenges. Unlike many of her colleagues, she has not been assigned a role in the new shadow cabinet nor selected to lead or deputize any parliamentary committee.
One senior NUP leader suggested availability and commitment were major considerations in assigning responsibilities.
“We assign responsibilities to people who are available and are committed to the struggle; not those who are just interested in parliamentary positions,” the leader said.
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya offered a measured response when asked about Malende’s future, saying the party would evaluate all its members based on their performance during the new parliamentary term.
“We are looking at all our members to see how they will perform in this term. The party is interested in strong performers,” Rubongoya said.
