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The four-time presidential candidate, Col. Dr. Kiiza Besigye has announced plans to retire from active politics.

During the FDC consultative meeting, on Friday, Besigye who received a hero's welcome in Rukungiri town said that he is winding up his political career as he is aging.

"Next month I will be 68 years old and am ready to respect the biblical years of 70 to retire from earthly things," he said.

Besigye said that his prayer is to see Ugandans out of slavery before he retires.

"Am going to push hard to make sure Ugandans regain their authority in the little time remaining," he said.

Besigye was welcomed by the huge crowd at Kahengye and made a stopover at Rwabingagura, Kebisoni, Buyanja, Rwenkuraijo, and Nyakibale before joining a main rally at Rukungiri main stadium.

Besigye told his supporters that whereas he had taken a political break from the political scene, his holiday was disrupted by what he termed "chaos|" at FDC party headquarters in Najjanankumbi.

"Am now back in the political scene and I trust you, people of Rukungiri that you will help me get where we are going in the very remaining time," he said.

The party is currently embroiled in a rift that ripped FDC into two rival groups.
Party President Patrick Amuriat is firmly in his seat at Najjanankumbi while his national Chairman Wasswa Biriggwa joined the group opposed to this leadership.

The group based at Katonga Road, Nakasero in Kampala includes Kampala Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago, Ibrahim Semujju Nganda (MP Kiira), and Besigye.

In a joint resolution presented by FDC Chairperson Rukungiri Aloysious Mugarura and John Vian Sunday FDC chairperson, of Kanungu district urged Besigye to stand again in the Presidential elections come 2026 after rebranding the FDC party.

Besigye said his mission is to wake people and know they are captives in their country so that they can get out of captivity without using guns.

It's possible like when we decide not to take any food to the market for just one week. They will cry and make the leadership fall because they can't survive without food.

Am not very much interested in the 2026 general elections orgànised by the people who captured us and we want to take authority from them ballot paper cannot be it at all unless organised by another body.

Former Rukungiri municipality MP Rolland Mugume Kaginda said their prayer is to have elections late this year or early next year after forcing this regime out of power.

Proscovia Salama Musumba praised the people of Rukungiri for coming in big numbers forced police to keep a side without disturbing their meeting.

"It's not that they wanted us here but they realised that they cannot disperse all this crowd. We also overpowered them in Kabale when they attempted to stop us from our planned meeting.