Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) members in Jinja City were on Thursday left stranded after their former landlord reportedly denied them access to their office premises and also confiscated some of their property.

Since 2006, the party’s offices in Jinja have been located at a storeyed building along Nizam Road West in the southern division of Jinja City, owned by Mubarak Kirunda, who for a long time has been a party member and considered by many as a party philanthropist.

Kirunda offered the party free office space upon winning the Jinja Central Division LC3 chairmanship in 2006 as the FDC flag bearer.

He later made the offer publicly at a rally attended by national party leaders at Busoga Square in Jinja.

He retained the seat in subsequent elections on the FDC ticket in 2011 and 2016, but, in 2021, he ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate after losing the FDC nomination.

The building recently got a fresh lick of paint in NUP red. Photo by Charles Kakamwa

Last month, Kirunda who is said to have crossed to the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, asked the Jinja FDC leadership to leave the property, saying NUP had approached him with the intention of renting the premises.

This was confirmed by Abubaker Maganda, the Jinja FDC chairman who added, “We have asked him to put this in writing, the same way he did while making the offer to the party in 2006.”

Maganda explained that Kirunda had always secured the FDC nomination without being subjected to internal elections but in 2020, he (Kirunda) lost to William Ebusa which might have angered him yet the party had to follow right procedures.

“The problem is that he does not want to be subjected to internal party democracy. We appreciate his contribution to the party and the opposition in general but FDC is governed on principles, guided by the party constitution. No one is bigger than the party,” Maganda said.

“No one has expelled him, he remains our brother in the struggle and we wish him well,” Maganda commented in regard to reports of Kirunda switching allegiance to NUP.

FDC members accuse landlord Mubarak Kirunda of throwing his toys out of the pram after he was defeated in the party primaries in 2020. Photo by Charles Kakamwa

The NUP party coordinator for Busoga sub-region, Moses Molson Bizitu, confirmed that Kirunda had indeed joined NUP and that preparations are underway to have him unveiled to the public soon.

He said the former FDC offices were being repainted with the red colour associated with NUP.

FDC denied access

On Thursday, FDC leaders failed to remove their property as had been advised by Kirunda, after they found the premises locked.

They were able to get only a few items, reportedly from members of Kirunda’s family that resides at the premises, but attempts to access key items such as office computers and furniture failed.

The items that were released had been put out on the veranda and the situation was only saved by Sarah Apale, a party member and Jinja City councillor for Maggwa Ward, who offered the party space at her home.

FDC had reportedly been using the property free of charge since 2006. Photo by Charles Kakamwa

“It is unfortunate for a leader of Kirunda’s calibre to exhibit such conduct. I found property scattered all over the place and decided to offer a single room at my place for purposes of keeping it safe as we look for a way forward,” she said on Thursday.

Umar Mutengu another FDC leader wondered why Kirunda had refused to surrender some of the party property yet he himself called them to pick it up.

“Let him be honest, if he demands some money from us let him tell us instead of playing mind games,” he commented.

Attempts by New Vision to get a comment from Kirunda were futile as his known telephone numbers were switched off by press time.

In the January 2021 elections for the Jinja South Division LCIII chairmanship, both Kirunda (Independent) and William Ebusa (FDC) lost to NRM’s Nasser Ashraf who garnered 6,910 votes.

NUP’s Muhammed Musisi Kibugujju came second with 4,973 votes according to the Electoral Commission results.