Former MP for Kasese Municipality, Robert Centenary, has harshly criticized the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, accusing it of lacking ideology and engaging in politics driven by self-interest and blackmail. Centenary claims that the FDC’s focus on securing positions within the party has tainted its politics, likening it to a septic tank emitting an irreversible stench.
Centenary’s remarks were made in response to a circulated document on social media by the FDC Lira branch, outlining the FDC-Katonga faction’s proposed course of action. This document included five options for the party, such as forcefully removing party members Patrick Amuriat Oboi and Nathan Nandala Mafabi, negotiating with the opposing group from Najjanakumbi, acquiring a weaker political party, remaining as a pressure group, or forming a new party altogether.
In light of this, Centenary criticized the FDC Katonga faction as a party devoid of ideology, claiming that it lacks core values and operates on a whim.
“The FDC-Katonga faction is beyond redemption; it acts impulsively and is primarily focused on securing party positions. Without considering the bigger picture, what went wrong with Dr. Besigye’s team’s support for Najjanakumbi? If our ultimate goal is to replace the current government, Besigye’s divisive tactics have led the FDC to its current state—a foul-smelling sewage that cannot be reversed. That is why it has lost numerous members,” Centenary expressed his discontent.
Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Member of Parliament for Kira Municipality, also elected on the FDC ticket, expressed his sympathies for those who still believe that the FDC is a potent party capable of overthrowing President Museveni’s government.
According to Ssemujju, the FDC has been compromised from within and handed over to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, just like what happened with the Democratic Party (DP) and the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC). He predicted that after the 2026 elections, the FDC would find itself sitting at the same table as the NRM.
“Those who still have faith in the FDC should prepare themselves to be part of the opposition alongside their leaders in government, as in the case of Nobert Mao of DP and the alleged first lady of UPC, Betty Amongi. They should wait and see what awaits Besigye’s FDC if Museveni returns as president in 2026,” Ssemujju cautioned.
Ssemujju, much like Centenary, had few positive words to say about his former party, the FDC. He compared it to a severely damaged vehicle whose passengers are on the verge of death. He criticized Besigye’s attempts to revive the party without the appropriate measures or medicine, relying solely on water as a futile effort.
“We must collectively acknowledge that the FDC we once knew no longer exists. It has been overrun and infiltrated by Museveni, or perhaps it was governable by Museveni all along, and we simply failed to realize it in time. I am deeply humiliated by the betrayals orchestrated by our leaders in Najjanakumbi, and I hope the ground swallows me whenever I am asked about what happened to the FDC,” Ssemujju expressed his disappointment.
In response to Ssemujju’s remarks, Centenary criticized him, alleging that he is in cahoots with the ruling NRM government, especially after Anita Among’s election as speaker. He urged Ssemujju to refrain from playing double standards.
Last year, the FDC experienced a split, resulting in two factions: Najjanakumbi under Amuriat and Katonga under Besigye. The division occurred amid allegations of corruption and self-interest among the party’s leaders. As the 2026 national elections draw closer, both factions are attempting to gain support using various strategies.
