The opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party has strongly criticized the decision by the Dr. Kizza Besigye-led faction of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to dissolve the mother party and convert its property into a start-up asset for a new political outfit.
The decision was reached at the FDC splinter group’s National Delegates Conference convened in Kampala on August 19, 2024, by Ambassador Waswa Birigwa, the substantive FDC national chairman with powers to summon the summit.
Speaking to our reporter, NUP deputy spokesperson Waiswa Mufumbiro ridiculed the decision by Kizza Besigye, Erias Lukwago, and their loyalists, calling it “comical and unbecoming” of veteran politicians of their caliber.
“We have respect for our seniors, Besigye and Lukwago, but the decision they have made shows that they are no longer in touch with reality. They should instead rally behind us the new faces of the struggle against dictatorship,” Mufumbiro said, adding that Besigye forming a new political party is of no good to the struggle.
The NUP spokesperson further suggested that the move might further fragment the opposition, which has already faced challenges in maintaining cohesion and presenting a unified front against the ruling party.
A section of FDC members shares similar sentiments with NUP’s spokesperson, urging that the decision undermines the efforts of many who have invested time and resources into building FDC as a key political party in Uganda.
Opposition sympathizers fear that the fragmentation of the FDC could weaken the opposition’s overall effectiveness, reducing their ability to present a credible alternative to the ruling government and that the creation of a new party might lead to further splintering of opposition forces, thereby diminishing their collective strength.
This comes after the FDC split into the Najjanankumbi faction led by Patrick Amuriat and the Katonga faction led by Erias Lukwago, following accusations by Dr. Besigye and his close loyalists, including Lukwago, pinning the FDC president Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Secretary General Nandala Mafabi of receiving “dirty money” from the State House to compromise the party ahead of the 2021 elections.
