The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) is disappointed at Paul Mwiru's decision to quit the party as he has been a pivotal member whose contributions extended far beyond what can be easily replaced.
The party acknowledged that his departure will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the party.
The acting National Coordinator of ANT, Alice Alaso Asianut told the Nile Post that they were shocked to discover Mwiru's departure from media outlets rather than directly from him.
"You are the first media person to tell me that Paul has crossed. We have no information from Paul. As you know Hon Mwiru has been one of the key players in the ANT. When he decides to move on, we ordinarily thought he would probably let us know. Now we are just learning from the media," she said in a brief interview.
Alaso noted that Mwiru's absence will have a significant impact on ANT's progress, given his role in the party's growth.
Alaso explained that they had reached out to Mwiru after hearing rumors of his meetings with the Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, but received no response.
"If he has been kind enough to tell us the reason for quitting, maybe we would learn from him on how to do things better but unfortunately we didn't have this privilege of hearing from him," she said.
She expressed disappointment that they were not informed of the reasons behind his decision to leave the party
"Hon Mwiru has been in the top decision-making organ of the Alliance for National Transformation, where he has played a significant role in Party growth. His input will definitely be missed. Nonetheless, we wish Paul well in his next political home," she noted.
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However, Alaso pointed out that despite this setback, ANT would persevere and continue to develop leaders committed to transforming politics in Uganda.
She explained that the kind of approach they are using does not promise immediate rewards, perhaps explaining as to why Mwiru has defected from the party.
Alaso said those who chose to remain championing the kind of approach will have to be acquainted with the difficulties associated with it because it is not an approach that draws a lot of crowds.
She acknowledged that the ANT approach does not generate excitement and may not be visibly apparent to people due to insufficient resources. However, she emphasized that the party is not dormant and is actively working to progress its goals.
However, she firmly believes that this is the way to go for the country, and stated that the party will continue to work with Mwiru through NUP when there is common ground.
Mwiru, the former Jinja East MP, formally crossed over from ANT and joined the National Unity Platform (NUP) on Friday, which political analysts have labeled opportunistic given he had previously defected from the FDC, having only joined ANT three years ago.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, welcomed Mwiru by stating that he was not an opponent, but rather an ally.
Mwiru noted that his decision to join NUP followed consultation with his constituency and stakeholders and that his objective remains the same.
He explained that he joined NUP to continue the fight for human rights in Uganda.
