Over the years, the opposition political party leaders have been in the scuffle to have a change of government. What has been on most of the opposition leaders’ lips is the lamentation of removing President Museveni from power with the slogan “We are removing the dictator.”
Peter Kakande, a local political pundit said the opposition leaders have not clearly drawn their strategic plan on how they will manage the affairs of Uganda and have therefore failed to turn discontent into a powerful tool for political change. The opposition has failed to develop its message beyond just the need to remove President Museveni from power.
Political analysts believe the opposition is less prepared to take on President Museveni and his ruling NRM party because they have failed to set the agenda on issues like the economy and electoral reforms. For instance, the opposition has failed to mobilize supporters countrywide during election time in order to build a strong and critical mass around issues.
Analysts have critiqued that the opposition has lacked concrete alternative policy proposals on the economy, public service, security, communications, and roads, among other issues.
Research also shows that the opposition has mostly relied on the central region, neglecting other regions of the country, which demonstrates that the opposition is failing to reach a potential constituency. This has increased the percentage of Ugandans trusting President Yoweri Museveni to over 80%.
Joseph Mugisha, an opposition activist, is concerned about the disunity, failed alliances, inter- and intra-party fighting, opportunism, and outright sell-outs of key members for selfish gains among opposition parties.
The opposition parties have concentrated on things that aren’t relevant to the struggle to remove the regime.
On this background, several conclusions have been made, asserting that the opposition has failed to understand the temperament of their opponent, his ruling tactics, and how he has managed to build a strong army while maintaining good relations with the neighbors and the outside world.
Recently, many Ugandans have lost trust in the opposition and are looking at it as one that is actually losing ground.
