NATIONAL
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has urged all opposition forces to work together in the push for political change in Uganda, warning against rivalry among parties with the same objective.
Speaking at the party’s 19th National Council Meeting at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala, on Wednesday, FDC vice chairman for Western region, Hon. Robert Centenary, who represented party chairperson Hon. Jack Sabiiti, said the opposition’s ultimate goal should be to transform Uganda into a “truly prosperous and united nation” under an honest government.
“We are committed to working with all forces of change to achieve the desirable change that Ugandans have long fought for,” Centenary said. “We are not in competition with one another. Our efforts should complement each other on the same front of liberating Uganda from the forties of NRM captivity.”
The meeting, attended by senior party leaders and delegates, was convened to launch the FDC’s 2026–2031 campaign manifesto, unveil secretary general Nandala Mafabi as the party’s presidential flag bearer, and formally handed over to him the instruments of power.
Centenary’s remarks come at a time when opposition unity has been a subject of national debate, with some analysts warning that fragmentation could undermine efforts to challenge the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the 2026 general elections.
FDC vice chairperson for Eastern Uganda, Margaret Wokuli Madada, outlined the manifesto’s five pillars: generating new employment opportunities, strategic investments, human resource development, leadership and governance, and interest groups.
She accused the NRM government of fostering corruption, failing service delivery, and neglecting infrastructure development, saying, “Only Nandala Mafabi will walk Uganda to the promised land.”
FDC president Eng. Patrick Oboi Amuriat rallied supporters to back Mafabi, describing him as “an accomplished international player” capable of steering the party to victory.
“There are people who thought they could dissolve this party, but we continue to march on,” Amuriat said. “Our mission is to save this country, fix the economy, and put money in people’s pockets.”
In his acceptance speech, Mafabi pledged to revive Uganda’s economy, root out corruption, and restore presidential term and age limits.
“A vote for me is a vote in your pocket,” he told delegates. “Forget my size, height, or English—choose me for what I can deliver.”
Mafabi also promised to reduce public debt, restore privatized parastatals, decentralize governance, build stadiums for schools, provide housing for doctors, allocate Shs100 million per village, offer free sanitary towels to teenage girls, and establish rehabilitation centres for youths battling substance abuse.
He pledged to promote education, sports, and both local and foreign investment, and to address unemployment and gender-based violence.
