Mao explains Buganda region voter dynamics as DP loses traditional base

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Democratic Party (DP) president general Nobert Mao has attributed the party’s loss of its traditional base in the Buganda region to shifting voter dynamics and internal conflicts among the former DP senior party leaders.

DP, once a stronghold in Buganda, has seen its influence wane in recent years, with many supporters defecting to other parties, including the National Unity Platform (NUP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Peoples’ Front for Freedom (PFF).

Speaking to the media on February 3, 2026, at DP headquarters on Balintuma Road in Kampala city, Mao, who is also the justice minister, asked DP leaders to regroup and capture lost Buganda in 2031.

“We lost our base in Buganda due to reckless talk of our DP leaders, and we got five MPs [Members of Parliament] from northern region and only one MP from Bukoto Central (Buganda), Richard Sebamala, which was a big loss to our party,” Mao said.

“Let's go back to basics and address the real problems of Ugandans, whether you won or lost, from today, re-invent yourself as a mouthpiece, and articulate the issues you found on the ground,” he insisted.

Different approach needed

Mao, who returns to Parliament after a 20-year absence, shared his personal campaign experience, saying the demands of electorates have since changed and need a different approach and solutions.

“I was dealing with market women and petty traders who are struggling with creditors and demanding me capital to run their small businesses,” he said.

"Let us go back to the basics and solve the issues of voters and I am here to declare a season of national campaign for 2031."

He described the current politics as a “new curriculum", where voters relate more to “TikTok” celebrities than men and women with solid ideas.

Mao acknowledged that DP's decision to form a co-operation agreement with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in 2022 has alienated some of the party's traditional supporters.

Former prominent DP figures who lost in the 2026 General Election included PFF’s former Buikwe South MP Dr Micheal Bayigga Lulume, former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Democratic Front’s (DF) Nyendo-Mukungwe Constituency MP Mathias Mpuuga and Medard Ssegona, who distanced themselves, accusing Mao of dictatorial tendencies and financial opacity.

Mao's leadership has been criticised for prioritising personal ambition over party revival. His appointment as justice minister in 2022 sparked accusations of betrayal, with some arguing he has become too aligned with the ruling NRM.

Outcry over missing sh2b   

Mao, who is also the chairperson of the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), said they had agreed with the Government in principle, based on the resolution of the IPOD summit at Kololo Independence grounds last year that all Opposition political parties were supposed to receive campaign money before the 2026 General Election.

“We are disappointed by the Government’s failure to remit campaign funds to Opposition political parties during the last concluded general elections. DP demanded shillings two billion arrears from the Government, but it was never paid, and we struggled during the campaigning exercise,” Mao said.

“The NRM government decided not to process the payment in the supplementary schedule because there were quarrels and a lack of consensus between the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) party and the Government before the money was halted,” Mao said.

According to Mao, NRM is 'largely afraid of competition with the Opposition political parties in elections'.

Poor performance

Mao addressed the causes of the poor performance of the party, narrowing it down to three factors: Swimming against the current false narrative that DP was sold as a separate entity, that the DP does not exist as a separate political party and that the party's president general had joined NRM.

“No wonder when they went ahead to contest on the DP ticket, they lost the election, but now, that is what they call self-inflicted injury,” he added.

Mao explained that the party had faced major financial shortages, hardly managing to pay nomination fees for their parliamentary candidates, which he said pushed some of the members to meet the costs for their own nomination.

“Many of the members are still demanding a refund from the party because they had been promised funds. Our partners in the NRM largely treated our DP candidates as negative forces instead of partners.”