The once-leading opposition political party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has faced hurdles flowing from the irreconcilable differences among its top leaders. As many political analysts have revealed, the misunderstandings among party leaders have not only left it crippled but also torn into two pieces.

The battle between FDC Katonga, now led by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, and FDC Najjanankumbi, led by Engineer Partick Oboi Amuriat and Nathan Nandala Mafabi, has left many supporters in a state of confusion. This has compelled Katonga leaders to propose the formation of a new political party that will soon be declared after the ongoing nationwide consultations.

During the national consultative meeting convened by Ssemujju Nganda at the rehabilitation centre in Kireka, Kira municipality, on Monday, March 11, 2024, two ardent leaders of the Democratic Party (DP) declared their conversion to FDC Katonga.

The duo includes Frank Ssemukuye, the councillor of Kira municipality, and Godfrey Nsubuga, the former mayor of Kira municipality, who were looking forward to joining the Katonga faction to form a new political platform to push their agenda of taking up power in the country. Will this be a conduit through which Katonga’s ankles will regain strength and walk again on the political stage of this country?

John Kikonyogo, the Spokesperson for the FDC, based in Najjanankumbi, explained that Katonga’s fishing from another opposition party is useless until they recruit members from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). He said that this doesn’t increase the number of people in opposition.

“It is like moving from a bedroom to a sitting room. But I am less concerned with them, and I don’t want to put my nose into them as long as they don’t interfere with the operations of the FDC. But it is better to first settle problems at your home before you go on to settle those at your neighbour’s house,” Kikonyogo said.

Towards the general election of 2021, the country witnessed a wave that saw many politicians cross from mainly opposition political parties, including the DP, UPC, and FDC, among others, to the National Unity Platform (NUP); however, it failed to remove the NRM at the polls. Is the formation of new political parties a waste of time?

According to Kikonyogo, it’s a waste of time because the more they are divided, the weaker they become. He said that they should build and strengthen the existing parties and, thereafter, come together and fight for a common cause.