National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Eastern Uganda John Baptist Nambeshe has taken over as acting president of the opposition party, replacing Dr Lina Zedriga Waru, who has held the position for the past four months.
NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu announced the leadership change through his official social media platforms, thanking Zedriga for her service during her time at the helm.
Kyagulanyi said Zedriga, who is the party’s Deputy President for Northern Uganda, provided stability and kept the party focused during her tenure.
“For four months, Dr Lina Zedriga Waru, Deputy President Northern Region, has been acting President of our Party. During this period, she has steered the party well and kept the revolution alive. We’re all very grateful for her dedication and service,” Kyagulanyi said.
Nambeshe, the Member of Parliament for Manjiya County in Bududa District, now takes charge of the party’s affairs in an acting capacity. Kyagulanyi did not indicate how long Nambeshe will remain in the position.
The change is in line with NUP’s internal arrangement of rotating the acting presidency among its regional deputy presidents.
Nambeshe is one of the party’s senior leaders and has remained a prominent figure in the opposition since joining NUP.
John Baptist Nambeshe is a Ugandan politician and a member of the 11th Ugandan Parliament from Manjiya County in Bududa district currently serving as the Chief Whip of the opposition in Parliament.
Nambeshe was born on 24 November 1965 in Manjiya County, Bududa District He attended Shikhuyu Primary School where he earned his First School Leaving Certificate in 1982 before obtaining his O’Level from Bulucheke SS (1986) and A’Level from Nabumali High School in 1989. He earned a diploma in Local Governance and Human Rights from Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi in 2012 and a bachelor’s degree of Arts in Local Governance and Human Rights in 2014 from Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi.
Nambeshe later joined Makerere University where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Social Sector Planning and Management in 2020.
Nambeshe worked as a teacher at Bududa Secondary School from 1989 to 1990, and laboratory technician for Jinja College between from 1993 to 1999
Politica Career
Nambeshe ventured into politics in 2006 when he contested and was elected as LC3 Chairperson of Bududa Town Council in 2006. In 2011, he was elected as LC5 Chairperson of Bududa District Local Government. In 2016, he was elected to the parliament of Uganda on the ticket of National Resistance Movement and served on the national economy and natural resources committees in the Parliament. He was one of the NRM members of parliament who opposed removal of age limit for president in 2017 in defiance of the party’s instruction to support the removal of age limit to enable President Yoweri Museveni to continue in office. He was criticised by the party official.
He left NRM to join the newly created NUP party. He was later appointed Deputy President of the party, Eastern Region and served as the party’s acting National President for three weeks in 2020 when Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu the president travelled United States for official engagement. Nambeshe contested and won the parliamentary seat for Manjiya County in Bududa district on the ticket of NUP in the 2021 general election.He was elected Chief Whip of the opposition following his party’s emergence as the major opposition party in the 11th parliament
