By Aggrey Baba
FDC presidential flag bearer Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi was today officially nominated to contest in the 2026 general elections, with a pledge to revive cooperatives and strengthen agriculture as a tool to fight poverty.
Speaking shortly after his nomination at the Electoral Commission’s (EC) headquarters in Lubowa, Entebe Road, the Najjanankumbi based political outfit Sectetary General (SG) said his leadership will focus on lifting ordinary Ugandans from daily struggles into a life of dignity.
“I have the experience not to let Ugandans down,” Mafabi declared, pointing to his 25 years in Parliament, past leadership of the opposition, and his work with the World Bank and IMF. He also bragged about his financial expertise, saying he knows how to manage finances, building institutions, and vowed to use the knowledge for the good of the people of Uganda.
Using the example of Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU), which he chairs, Mafabi assured the public that reviving the country’s collapsed cooperatives will be like watering a dry garden to bring it back to life, saying “Cooperatives gave people money in their pockets before, and they can do it again.
Nandala promised to inject more resources into agriculture, the seed that can grow into lasting prosperity, arguing that poverty is not a statistic, but failing to feed your family, struggling to pay school fees, or lacking a roof over your head. He added that if the government supports agriculture well, households will earn, and that is how his leadership will defeat poverty.
He now joins the list of presidential contenders that already includes President Yoweri Museveni of the NRM, Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Mabirizi Elton of the Conservative Party, and Kasibante Robert of the National Peasants Party, and the Alliance for National Transformation’s (ANT) Gen. Mugisha Muntu who are all officially presidential candidates as declared by Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC Chairman.
