The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party Katonga Faction has been hit with further tensions, which has escalated the already existing wrangles as a group of disillusioned youth publicly accused veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye of being a government mole and trouble causer that has deepened the party split.
This claim has come at a time when the FDC party is faced with political unrest resulting from the scramble and partition for power as greed intensified among the leadership, which led the Katonga faction to announce its dissolution and formation of a new party.
The youths, especially from central, eastern, and northern Uganda, have accused Besigye of working closely with the government to make sure there is no opposition political party by 2026.
According to Isaac Opolot, who hails from northern Uganda, Besigye started causing chaos in the main party by playing one individual against the other and labeling them moles, yet he was the actual mole disguised as a party founder.
“Besigye tacticfully fooled the majority of Ugandans who did not align with the NRM government by giving them false hope of change. Imagine starting up a party that you repeatedly divide and split up to give fresh names; if it were a company, tell me how such a company would grow and compete fairly on the market with those that have stayed together and solved conflicts internally,” Opolot said.
“FDC is currently in a grappling state with internal challenges and external pressures, rising from Besigye’s desire to fulfill Museveni’s demands of having no opposition by 2026,” Opolot added.
The Nansana Municipality FDC Katonga faction Mobiliser, Twaha Ssendyowa led a group of youths who crossed back to the main FDC in Najjanankumbi, citing confusion and lack of seriousness on the side of Besigye, Erias Lukwago, and Ssemujju Nganda to take the party forward since they were dividing it up like a piece of cloth instead of building it up.
They voiced their concerns that Besigye, who has long been a prominent figure in Ugandan politics, may be undermining the party’s objectives from within.
“We are tired of being led by someone who seems to be working against our interests; his actions have raised too many questions, and we can no longer ignore the possibility that he is not on our side,” Ssendyowa noted.
Political experts have analyzed that the FDC, which has faced significant challenges in recent years, including dwindling support and internal divisions, now finds itself at a crossroads due to its founder’s betrayal.
The experts assert that FDC’s ability to unify its members and present a cohesive front against the ruling government is increasingly in question following the divisions it has kept going through.
Political analysts suggest that these internal conflicts have further weakened the FDC’s position in the opposition landscape, and making a comeback is next to impossible.
