By Aggrey Baba
Democratic Party (DP) Vice President Fred Mukasa Mbidde has reaffirmed his intention to contest for the party presidency, declaring that he is prepared to take over the leadership mantle either in 2031 or even earlier if circumstances force an early leadership transition.
In an exclusive interview with Mulengera News journalist Aggrey Baba, Mbidde said he remains serious about replacing Nobert Mao, who also serves as the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Museveni’s government, arguing that DP’s constitution allows for a delegates conference to be convened at any time when necessary. The video version of the interview can be accessed via this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3HZWdIIqZw&t=387s; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFZ8wiwXw4s&t=1307s.
Mbidde said the possibility of a leadership change before 2031 can’t be ruled out, explaining that the DP constitution provides mechanisms through which party leadership can be replaced before the end of a political term.
“The constitution provides for a delegates conference at any time if there is need. It is possible that by 2031 there will be a new president, but it is also possible that it happens before then,” Mbidde said.
The outspoken DP vice president said his decision to seek the party presidency is not driven by personal disagreements with Mao, whom he described as a leader who has contributed greatly to the party over the years.
According to Mbidde, Mao played a significant role in shaping the DP and deserves recognition for his contribution, but he believes the time has come for another generation of leaders to take responsibility.
“Mao has done a lot for DP, but leadership must also give room for others to come in. He did not mentor me to be his vice president forever. He mentored me to lead,” Mbidde said.
He said that after serving as Mao’s deputy for years, he believes he has gained enough experience and understanding of the party structures to lead DP into a new chapter.
Mbidde, however, said his biggest concern is what he described as the loss of direction and identity of the Party following its cooperation agreement with the NRM.
He said that when the agreement was introduced, it appeared promising and was presented as a strategic arrangement that would benefit DP politically, but according to him, things changed after Mao was appointed Minister, leaving the biggest part of it not implemented.
“On paper, the cooperation agreement was good. It had a lot of promise for the party. But after Mao got the ministerial position, things changed and the party lost direction,” he said.
Mbidde argued that the arrangement left DP in a difficult political position where members of the opposition view it as a party working closely with the government, while the NRM still treats DP as an opposition party.
“Today, we have lost our sense of belonging. Among the opposition, many people see DP as part of the government, yet the government still treats us as opposition,” he said.
He cited the recent elections as an example, saying the cooperation agreement was supposed to create a political partnership where NRM would not front candidates in areas where DP had candidates and DP would reciprocate.
However, Mbidde said the reality on the ground was different.
“The agreement was that where DP had a candidate, NRM would support that candidate, and where NRM had one, DP would support. But what happened was the opposite. That was a deviation from what was agreed,” he said.
Mbidde added that he can’t continue watching a party he has dedicated much of his life to struggle under what he considers poor political direction.
“I have supported this party for almost my entire life. I can’t just sit and watch it collapse,” he said.
While explaining how he initially supported the DP-NRM cooperation agreement, Mbidde revealed a previously untold story about how Mao personally took him through the document before it was adopted as a party position.
He said that as a legal advisor to the party, he was invited to Mao’s home together with other DP leaders to be taken through the agreement.
“Mao’s wife locked me and her husband in their house for over three hours so that Mao could take me through the cooperation agreement,” Mbidde said.
He explained that the detailed engagement convinced him to support the arrangement because, as a party member, he was expected to support official party programs.
“That is how I was convinced to support it. As a party member, I am supposed to support party programs,” he said.
Mbidde also addressed questions about his long-standing relationship with Mao and why he has now become one of his strongest critics despite decades of working together, saying there is no personal conflict between the two and that his position is based on what he believes is best for the future of DP.
“I don’t have any personal issues with Mao. This is about the party,” he said.
He revealed that he has admired Mao since his childhood days in Masaka, where he followed Mao’s political journey and was inspired by his leadership style.
“I started following him as a young boy in Masaka. I used to read about him and fell in love with the way he did things,” Mbidde said.
He said when he later joined university politics and contested for the Guild presidency at Makerere University, Mao, who had previously served as Guild President, supported him in different ways and contributed to his success.
Mbidde acknowledged Mao’s influence on his political growth, saying there is no doubt that Mao mentored him, but added that their relationship has evolved over time.
“He is my senior and he mentored me. But over time, we have both learnt from each other,” he said.
The DP vice president praised Mao’s public speaking abilities but maintained that he too has developed strong communication skills capable of mobilizing people.
“He is a very good orator, but I also have good communication skills. We have things in common. We are both lawyers and we have worked together for a long time,” he said.
Mbidde further revealed that during the recent DP delegates conference in Mbarara, Mao indicated that he would not seek another term as party president, and that this declaration is one of the reasons he believes the race for party presidency is now open.
“Mao himself said he would not contest again. I expect him to keep his word,” Mbidde said.
Based on this, he said he considers the DP presidency vacant ahead of the next delegates conference and has officially declared his interest.
When asked whether he would leave the party if he lost the contest, Mbidde dismissed the possibility, saying he is confident of victory.
“I don’t see myself losing. I know DP corner by corner. I know the delegates and structures across the country,” he said.
He pointed to his history within the party, saying he has served as DP vice president since 2010, previously served as Deputy President of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), and the party’s legal advisor.
Mbidde said he has always risen through party structures without opposition (unopposed) and believes the same will happen with the presidency.
“I got all these positions unopposed. The presidency will also not be different,” he said.
Mbidde said his biggest ambition is to rebuild DP by bringing back leaders who left the party due to disagreements with Mao’s leadership, including former party members and opposition figures like Mukono MP Betty Nambooze, Hon Richard Lumu, former Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Sseggona, and other DP figures who have distanced themselves from the party, promising to open dialogue with them and restore unity within DP.
“I will bring back the DP cream that left. We shall celebrate together and work together again,” he said.
Mbidde said his goal is to return DP to its former strength and reposition it as a serious force capable of taking power, accusing Mao’s leadership of becoming too comfortable with government cooperation, saying DP must return to its original mission of fighting for political change.
“We must rebuild DP and make it a party that is fighting to take government, not one comfortable serving in government,” he said. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
