DP youth unveil plan to reverse party's declining electoral fortunes

JINJA - In a scathing assessment of the declining political fortunes of the Democratic Party (DP), Ismail Kiirya, president emeritus of the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), has declared a mission to reclaim, rebuild and restore Uganda’s oldest political party from what he describes as leadership consumed by selfishness and greed.

Flanked by youth leaders from across the country, Kiirya launched the DP at Heart platform during a press conference at the Nile Luxe Hotel on Clive Road in Jinja city on February 21, 2026.

The launch was held under the theme Post-Election Analysis: The Way Forward for the Democratic Party.

Kiirya, alongside regional leaders from Kampala, Masindi and Kayunga districts, presented what he described as a candid and comprehensive analysis of the party’s decline over the past two decades.

According to statistics released by the group, the Democratic Party has experienced a sharp institutional decline between 2006 and 2026.

Across competitive presidential elections, the party’s share of the total vote has consistently remained below 2 per cent, indicating limited national traction compared with its performance prior to 2006, when it enjoyed broader appeal and stronger electoral results.

The party’s highest performance during this period was in 2011 at 1.86 per cent, before dropping sharply to 0.56 per cent in 2021.

The leaders also highlighted a significant contraction in legislative strength.
Kiirya presented figures detailing what he described as the erosion of the party’s parliamentary and grassroots presence.

Since the return of multiparty politics in the 2005 and 2006 general elections, the Democratic Party’s performance has, according to the group, followed a consistent downward trend from 2006 to 2026.

In the 2006 general elections, DP secured nine Members of Parliament out of 319. In 2011, it won 12 out of 375. In 2016, it secured 15 out of 427. In 2021, the party returned nine MPs out of 529. In the recently concluded elections, it won six out of 555 seats, most of them from northern Uganda.

According to the UYD analysis of parliamentary representation, the Democratic Party’s presence in Parliament has reduced from nine MPs at its recent peak to six in 2026, representing a contraction of more than 50 per cent in legislative strength.

Part of the UYD leadership that attended the launch of the DP at Heart Initiative at Nile Luxe Hotel in Jinja City on February 21st, 2026. (Credit: Donald Kiirya)

At local government level, the party recorded significant losses in councillor positions and youth leadership roles at district and sub-county levels, which Kiirya described as the foundation of political mobilisation.

"A party that struggles at parish and sub-county levels cannot sustainably compete at the national level," Kiirya stated, accusing the current leadership of abandoning the party’s foundation. He added that the current leadership is preaching water while drinking wine.

The leaders directed sharp criticism at the party’s current president general, Norbert Mao, who also serves as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Julius Ddumba, UYD chairperson for Kampala, accused Mao of violating the party constitution by failing to field a presidential candidate, thereby giving President Yoweri Museveni leeway to continue his leadership.

"The DP constitution specifies that the president general must contest. This is the second time he has failed us. Last time it was a national ID issue; this time, he claims members agreed to support Museveni—we did not."

Ddumba emphasised that the initiative is inclusive, stating that they are putting a table in a corner of the House of Democratic Party to bring all members, including women, youth and the elderly, together to reclaim the party from those he described as having taken it over.

Anthony Wadimba, UYD chairman for Kayunga district and a former personal assistant to Mao, made further allegations against the party leader. He claimed that Mao is bargaining for the position of Speaker of Parliament and using the party for personal benefit.

"Mao takes DP members as goats; he goes to President Museveni and says, 'I have the following,' just to get a ministerial post. We are warning the President that Mao is coming to scam you. There is nothing left of DP under his leadership; the followers no longer believe in him," Wadimba alleged.

The leaders also criticised the cooperation agreement with the ruling NRM, arguing that it has created identity ambiguity and provided cover for leaders to pursue personal ambitions while discouraging loyal members from contesting elective positions.

The newly formed DP at Heart platform is presented not as a rebellion but as a restoration effort aimed at returning the party to what members describe as its former prominence in the 1960s and 1980s.

The platform seeks to bypass what it calls the topmost leadership and instead focus on rebuilding from the grassroots.

Its priorities include restructuring branches across districts, renewing leadership by transitioning to a new generation, modernising mobilisation strategies to integrate young people and reaffirming the party’s ideological identity as a distinct democratic force.

Kiirya, who also serves as the party secretary for Jinja city, concluded by urging members to act independently of the current top leadership.

"We call upon all members who have the Democratic Party at heart to stand up and rebuild without depending on the topmost leaders, because they have lost track," Kiirya noted.

The group urged DP members nationwide to restore the party to what they described as its historic strength of the 1960s and 1980s, signalling a widening rift between the party’s youth wing and its national executive leadership.