The ongoing political fights in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party have seen many party members confused and not sure of the future of the opposition party that has challenged Museveni’s rule for over 20 years.
Whereas the Ssemujju-Lukwago faction accuses Nandala Mafabi and Patrick Amuriat of receiving funds from President Museveni in the 2021 elections, they have failed to produce evidence for the same. As usual, the supporters are divided along the two factions.
The Katonga group supporters have branded Nandala and Amuriat as moles and trying to sell the party to President Museveni. On the other side, Nandala-Amuriat and their supporters accuse Ssemujju and Lukwago of trying to sell the Party to National Unity Platform.
The nature of our politics is that our people, especially the elite always make political decisions basing on emotions rather than ideas. Every opposition political party in Uganda has a leader who is untouchable and their supporters will always defend them whether they are wrong or right.
Dr. Kizza Besigye, an elder and the founding member of the FDC has already taken sides and grouped with Ssemujju and Lukwago. Both factions agree to the fact that Besigye accepted part of the money from Mafabi and kept it as the other money was used to fund party candidates in the electoral processes.
In such political fights of the juniors, everybody who is politically sensitive would expect the elders and seniors in the party to remain neutral and mediate between the two factions for the betterment of the party, but since lines are drawn then what next?
The same thing happened in 2018 when Gen Mugisha Muntu, one of the FDC founding members was accused of being a mole and was harassed until he was left with no option but to leave the party.
As their norm, the allegations were not backed by evidence but reliable sources would later reveal that actually Muntu had disagreed with Besigye on the Modus Operandi. Muntu believed in building structures while Besigye and his people preferred civil disobedience to dislodge President Museveni.
While appearing on Capital gang show on July 22, 2023, MP Abdu Katuntu, another FDC founding member said that, shallow analysts are looking at Ssemujju as an individual but he was speaking on behalf of Besigye and the Katonga group.
“There are things Besigye cannot say and it is Ssemujju to say them on his behalf,” Katuntu said.
It is evident that whoever disagrees with Besigye is branded a mole, harassed and forced to quit the party or a vote of no confidence is preferred, which is likely to happen to Mafabi and Amuriat in the party’s National Executive Committee soon.
Previously when Muntu left, other people who believed in him also left. We are therefore, likely to see some Members of Parliament and other party members leave the FDC with Nandala and Amuriat.
Besigye’s chauvinistic tendencies should not be left out while discussing the political impediment in FDC party.
Whereas there are allegations that some party leaders received funding from President Museveni, there is no evidence tabled and the party has faced similar scenarios where unfounded and baseless allegations have been meted against some leaders simply because of not agreeing with Besigye.
The fact that he is coming out to accuse the duo of something that happened in 2020, raises many questions than answers.
