Heavy rains leave FDC’s Nandala stranded in Ntungamo

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The early Friday morning downpour disrupted Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Nathan Nandala Mafabi’s campaign trail, leaving his caravan stranded in Ntungamo district.

FDC day’s program read Rukungiri and Kanungu districts, two of the party’s long-time strongholds. By 1pm, the team had not yet set off.

What began as a light shower at 7am quickly intensified into a downpour, flooding roads and making it impossible for the convoy to proceed to Rukungiri, where supporters were already waiting.

The FDC camp had spent Thursday night in Ntungamo following a packed day of rallies across Mitooma, Rubirizi and Ntungamo. But the momentum from the previous day was dampened by the rain, stranding the team for hours.

Friday’s campaign trail comes a little over a month before Ugandans descend on polling stations to elect their new leaders mid-next month.

Nandala, who has so far spent 74 days traversing Uganda, has repeatedly argued that the time allocated for nationwide campaigns is insufficient for candidates to meaningfully reach voters.

He recently petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the campaign period, saying the current roadmap places unfair pressure on candidates covering vast regions under tight schedules.

FDC’s media and communications manager, Norman Turyatemba, stated that the delay was not only an inconvenience but also incurred costs for them and their supporters.

“For long, Rukungiri and Kanungu have been our strongholds in western Uganda. Reaching our supporters late is a disadvantage, both to us and to the thousands who are already gathered and waiting," he said.