By Mulengera Reporters
There was a time when whoever wanted to win a seat in Kampala had to fight hard to demonstrate loyalty to Najjanankumbi and the FDC party’s key symbol was selling like a hot cake.
Whoever was in opposition and wanted easy sailing at polls had to consider FDC first choice. It mattered, and it mattered big time, to have the key symbol on one’s campaign poster which had to be crowded in color blue. The likes of Nabillah Nagayi used to hire goons and kanyamas to brutalize whoever challenged them for the FDC flag.
In fact, even the NUP big man Bobi Wine initially desired to do his Kyadondo East MP race during the by-election campaigns on the FDC ticket but Najjanankumbi, which as of that time of 2017 dominated opposition politics, disregarded him. They preferred to stick with their man Apollo Kantinti, a great grandson of legendary Buganda Katikkiro Sir Apollo Kaggwa.
In the end, Bobi Wine, running as an independent, prevailed and politics has never remained the same since that time in the whole Uganda. He went on to found his own NUP party which went on to become the biggest and the most potent opposition political formation up to this day.
NUP’s red color has continued selling like hot cake and this is already visible everywhere on the Kampala streets as whoever desires victory in 2026 is already depicting him or herself as pro-NUP. In the meantime, the FDC brand has sunk into clear oblivion and one would struggle to spot their colors and key symbol on campaign posters anywhere on the streets.
In fact, Patrick Amuriat Oboi and his Secretary General Nandala Mafabi are going to struggle to get people willing to risk carrying the FDC flag even in areas where color blue used to enjoy stronghold support.
Because of loss of public trust, resulting from the alleged evil money that Dr. Kizza Besigye says came from State House and found its way to Najjanankumbi in 2021 in order to undermine efforts at unity with NUP, no one these days wants to be associated with the FDC brand anymore. It’s clear those wanting to be elected aren’t facing any pressure from voters to come on the FDC ticket as was the case for roughly 20 years of Besigye’s engagement.
And the hostility is more pronounced in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) than anywhere else in Uganda. This explains why their flag bearer Kalifa Aganaga badly trailed in the just ended Kawempe poll and why the likes of their Buganda region Deputy President Yusuf Nsibambi isn’t going to be very comfortable seeking re-election in Mawokota on the FDC ticket. Nsibambi will most likely be publicly apologizing to NUP in a bid to find some common ground as he seeks second term in 2026.
Many opposition supporters in the GKMA, especially young people, became very resentful of Najjanankumbi when it was established that the reason POA and Nandala Mafabi turned against Dr. Kizza Besigye, Wasswa Birigwa, Semujju Nganda and Erias Lukwago was because they were in favor of opposition unity and closely working with Bobi Wine’s NUP during the 2021 campaigns.
Many genuine opposition supporters also resented the violence and brutality that POA’s group unleashed on the Erias Lukwago group members in order to avenge their Katonga’s willingness to closely collaborate with Bobi Wine and his NUP. Prof Ogenga Latigo, the founding FDC deputy president for Northern Uganda, predicts that for the guys at Najjanankumbi, things are going to get much worse after the 2026 elections.
Prof Latigo, the founding LoP since the return of multipartism in 2005, further predicts that those who will be in charge, having successfully chased away everyone else with a dissenting view from Najjanankumbi, will have no option but to sell off the party headquarters property and share the money among themselves before sinking into permanent oblivion. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
