Malende Missing in Action as NUP Endorses Balimwezo for Lord Mayor
Kampala - The political stage grew tense on Thursday after several MPs, most notably Kampala Woman MP Shamim Malende, failed to appear as the National Unity Platform (NUP) fronted Ronald Balimwezo for the Lord Mayor seat following his nomination by the Electoral Commission.
The absence of Malende once hailed as a strong Kampala mobilizer has triggered speculation that she might already sense she will not be handed the NUP card, despite her current persistent public posturing and heavy financial expenditure in campaigns.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, alongside top party leaders, Joel Ssenyonyi, Lewis Lubongoya, Zahra Luyirik ,Chirman Fred Nyanzi and Aloysius Mukasa stood firmly behind Balimwezo, declaring him the candidate to uproot Erias Lukwago from City Hall.
But the no show of Malende and other MPs left supporters whispering of widening cracks in the party’s Kampala front.
Political watchers argue that Malende’s silence is telling a signal that she could be grappling with rejection inside her own camp.
To some, it paints the picture of a politician crying in private while struggling to remain relevant in the fast shifting NUP power play.
With Balimwezo now unleashed as the face of NUP’s Kampala fight, the big question is whether Malende has a future in the party’s 2026 strategy or whether her political career is slowly being written off.
