Nambooze, Mao excite Mukono

Apr 12, 2010

THE Democratic Party (DP) supporters in Mukono district on Saturday forced Betty Nambooze to recognise Norbert Mao as the party president.

By John Semakula
and Brian Mayanja

THE Democratic Party (DP) supporters in Mukono district on Saturday forced Betty Nambooze to recognise Norbert Mao as the party president.

Nambooze, the former party spokesperson, was attending Mao’s rally at the Mayor’s Gardens.

She arrived as Mao addressed the gathering and was given a chance to greet the crowd. However, she angered the supporters when she called Mao honourable.

The supporters demanded that she addresses Mao as the president general or else stop her speech.

A puzzled Nambooze then referred to Mao as Mr. President. Mao, standing next to her, laughed loud.

In her speech, Nambooze asked Mao to win over members of the breakaway faction for the good of the party.
She pledged not to attend the delegates’ conference of the ‘rebel’ faction unless it was meant to unite the party. No leaders of the rival faction attended the rally.

Former party president John Ssebaana Kizito said he left office a happy man after handing over to Mao.


“No one can now say DP is for Baganda and Catholics because Mao is not a Muganda and I am not a Catholic.”

All DP presidents before Ssebaana were Baganda and Catholic, creating the perception that the party is not national. Mao is a Catholic and northerner.

In his speech, Mao vowed to discipline members who undermine the party constitution.

“Those who undermine the constitution of the party are indisciplined and I will not hesitate to discipline them,” he said.

The party, Mao added, would recruit and register members nationwide beginning from universities.

He asked Buganda supporters to perceive him as a DP candidate for the Ugandan presidency and not just for northern Uganda.

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