In the wake of unfolding internal wars in the FDC party, one ought to take a step back and examine the real causes that sparked the uproar we are seeing today. This article breaks down in brief what exactly happened behind closed doors or in darkness that caused the current exchange of fire.
These events have split the party into factions, i.e., the Nandala-Amuriat faction and the Ssemujju-Lukwago faction, which are in contention with each other.
The genesis
According to party president Amuriat, FDC’s coffers were stretched and found it difficult to soothe campaigns, which compelled some concerned party leaders to solicit funds, raising over UGX 7 billion in no time to support the cause.
Since Ssemujju and Nandala Mafabi were the chief mobilizers at the time, Nandala, alone in his might, managed to gather UGX 7 billion, of which he did not disclose the source this time as disclosure had been the norm.
However, the noble deed was not welcomed by some leaders, who kept questioning the source of the UGX 7 billion.
Additionally, the source of the money was not investigated at the time because it was bad timing (2021 elections).
Sharing gone Bad
According to an inside source, the chief fundraisers, i.e., Ssemujju and Nandala, had a healthy money-sharing relationship between them as each side would have a reasonable share according to their internal agreements. However, in this UGX 7 billion case and other cases, money was just poured into the party’s pockets without following the usual procedures.
In retaliation, Ssemujju did the same and decided not to disclose all the other money he got from his “sources”.
Ssemujju’s allies, including Lukwago, grew suspicious of the legitimacy of the monies brought in by Nandala Mafabi and his group, accusing them of being in bed with the ruling NRM government.
Besigye consulted
As things were getting heated within the party, concerned party members came to save the situation before it could get out of hand. Hon. Geoffrey Ekanya of Tororo North County ran to their elder, Dr. Kiiza Besigye, as a whistleblower and explained the issues at hand.
According to Hon. Ekanya, some samples of the remaining money (over 500 million) were taken to Besigye’s home, where the veteran leader used his source at the Bank of Uganda to inquire about the source of the money.
However, during yesterday’s presser, attended by some key leaders in the party, including Kampala’s Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Mubarak Munyagwa, Doreen Nyanjura, and other supporters, Besigye said that when he tried to question the source of the money, Amuriat, together with some leaders, stopped his attempts because, by then, he was not the party president, and Besigye decided to remain silent.
“And after the elections, we formed a committee to engage the issue, but unfortunately, those we tasked with giving us the information about the dirty money turned against us, questioning who we were to investigate the issue, and since I was not on the NEC or National Council, I decided to be quiet,” he said.
Hon. Ekanya, however, revealed that Dr. Besigye used his sources at the Bank of Uganda to help track the movements of the money in trying to find the source. Ekanya added that the BOU source made a shocking revelation when he told them that the money was part of the pool used to finance NRM campaigns.
It is from that revelation that Nandala and Amuriat have been accused of trying to sell FDC to President Museveni.
2021 Campaigns oiled the Internal War seeds
By the time the heated 2021 Elections arrived, camps and rifts had already been created in the party by the end of the campaigns.
The then FDC candidate Amuriat accuses Ssemujju, Lukwago, and group of alienating themselves from the FDC Presidential Campaigns, even in the Central Region, where the two (Ssemujju and Lukwago) had reasonable support.
Additionally, Ssemujju and Erias Lukwago are also suspected of plotting to put FDC in the hands of Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform.
