By Our Reporter,
KAMPALA
Tensions boiled over at the Democratic Party (DP) headquarters on Balintuma Road in Kampala on Tuesday as disgruntled party members clashed over alleged tampering with the list of delegates scheduled to attend the party’s National Delegates Conference in Mbarara on May 30, 2025.
The chaos erupted after several members accused DP President, Justice Minister Norbert Mao, of deliberately removing names of perceived rivals and their supporters from the official list of delegates. The complaints mainly came from supporters of Bukoto Central MP, Mr Richard Sebamala, who is challenging Mao for the party presidency.
“We were supposed to receive our invitation cards today, but the party administration is playing games to eliminate some of us,” said Daniel Mivule, the DP organising secretary from Nansana Municipality. He claimed the move was an orchestrated effort to exclude certain delegates from the crucial conference where new party leadership and a presidential flag bearer for the 2026 general elections are expected to be elected.
The row intensified when a faction of DP members demanded Mao’s immediate resignation, accusing him of holding clandestine meetings with senior government officials to secure political support. The group alleged that Mao secretly facilitated a meeting between some National Executive Committee (NEC) members and Gen. Salim Saleh, brother to President Yoweri Museveni, at the latter’s country home in Gulu District, Northern Uganda.
“It is clear the President [Mao] is trying to buy support using state machinery,” claimed one angry member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This is a betrayal of the party’s core values and an insult to our delegates.”
The escalating internal wrangles come just two days ahead of the much-anticipated delegates conference in Mbarara, setting the stage for a tense showdown between rival camps within Uganda’s oldest political party.
Security personnel were later deployed at the DP offices to prevent further disturbances. More details to follow….
