RUKUNGIRI
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Nathan Nandala Mafabi on Thursday faced a hostile reception from voters in Rukungiri district, who accused him of betraying former party president and Rukungiri’s own son, Rtd Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye.
The voters repeatedly shouted him down, demanding that he “go back to Bugisu,” and accusing him of spearheading schemes that allegedly pushed Besigye out of the party he founded. Dr. Kizza
Besigye and his aide Haji Obeid Lutale are currently detained at Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Kampala. They were arrested in Nairobi, Kenya on 16 November 2024 and subsequently brought to Uganda, where they were charged with security-related offences including unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. They have also been charged with treason in civilian courts following a Supreme Court ruling that military tribunals cannot try civilians. Besigye and Lutale have pleaded not guilty to the allegations and remain in custody as legal proceedings continue.
Responding to voters’ claims, Nandala, dismissed the accusations, insisting he had no hand in Besigye’s political troubles.
“You say you want Besigye. We all love him. But it’s not me who imprisoned him, it’s President Museveni,” Nandala said as a section of the crowd chanted, “We want Besigye.”
“I do not operate a private safe house or a prison. Museveni campaigned here; you should have asked him about Besigye.”
The Nandala – Besigye fallout came to a head in 2023, when allegations of dirty money by Dr Besigye emerged that top FDC officials unlawfully received money reportedly from President Museveni ahead of the 2021 general elections, splitting the party into two factions namely the Najjanankumbi faction led by party Secretary General Nandala Mafabi and party president Eng Patrick Oboi Amuriat, and the Katonga faction under Dr. Besigye. Both sides have accused the other of working with the NRM government. Nandala Mafabi has accused Besigye of abandoning the party and trying to regain power through unlawful means, while Besigye has maintained his stance on the corruption allegations.
At almost every stop in Rukungiri, Nandala was forced to explain that he would release Dr. Besigye if elected, after angry voters repeatedly heckled him and accused him of betraying the former FDC president and ‘selling’ the party to the NRM.
The FDC candidate said that, if elected, he would ensure Besigye is released, arguing that he “has no case to answer.”
“Please give me your vote and I will release him immediately. We have been in the struggle together since 2000 and we are still together,” he added, although voters continued to mock him over allegations of betrayal.
Despite the heckling, Nandala emphasized the FDC’s campaign manifesto pledging to improve road infrastructure in Kigezi, provide free accommodation for medical workers, free universal education, and offer interest–free motorcycle loans to boda boda riders.
“My government will give boda boda cyclists motorcycle loans of sh2m, payable in five years. They will pay only sh400,000 annually with no interest,” he said.
After the rally in Rukungiri, Nandala moved to Kihihi in Kanungu district, where he repeated the same message delivered earlier in Rukungiri.
