Opposition leaders meet over party differences, intolerance
A closed-door meeting that lasted two hours was seen as a crucial step towards building a united opposition front, with leaders acknowledging that their individual efforts had not yielded significant results in the past.
Opposition political party leaders after the meeting at Plot 6 Katonga Road in Nakasero, Kampala. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)
KAMPALA - Following the arrest of People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) chairman and former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, key opposition party leaders convened a crisis meeting on June 18, 2026, to put aside their personal differences and forge a common ground to challenge what they described as the political incarceration of their party leaders and supporters.
The meeting, which brought together leaders from various opposition parties at the PFF party headquarters on Plot 6 Katonga Road in Nakasero, Kampala, aimed to address the pressing issue of disunity, which they said has enabled the NRM government to target them one after another.
Moses Bigirwa, the general secretary of the Common Man’s Party (CMP), emphasised the importance of unity among opposition leaders if they are to wrest power from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, stating:
“This is a sign that we have a general cause. We have now understood that no one can take down President Yoweri Museveni alone, be it the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and the PFF itself,” he said.
A closed-door meeting that lasted two hours was seen as a crucial step towards building a united opposition front, with leaders acknowledging that their individual efforts had not yielded significant results in the past.
Bigirwa said opposition leaders recognised that the NRM government has been in power for over three decades and that their individual efforts have not been enough to bring about change.
“When I was still in the trenches with NUP, I used to admire secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya until I separated to become the secretary general of CMP, but nothing has changed since,” Bigirwa insisted.
NUP’s Rubongoya said they convened to show solidarity in the fight against injustices, human rights violations and the breakdown of the rule of law in the country.
“As you all know, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, the NUP party principal, is in exile. Yesterday, they arrested our supporter Andrew Natumanya, popularly known as ‘Tabz’, and we do not know where he is. This is why we are here to join our efforts for Lukwago to be released with other political prisoners,” Rubongoya added.
PFF’s deputy president Buganda, Micheal Bayigga Lulume, FDC Deputy President Northern Region and Obongi County MP, Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, among others after the the meeting. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)
The meeting also highlighted the need for opposition leaders to engage at the grassroots level and build a strong support base.
Jimmy Akena, the UPC party president, said the opposition leaders’ decision to unite comes at a time when the country is facing numerous challenges, including high levels of poverty, corruption and unemployment.
“The success of all Ugandans’ efforts will depend on our ability to put the country's interests above our personal ambitions and work together towards a common goal,” he said.
“Whatever our differences, let us get committed to put our people first and serve them as we wait for President Museveni’s era to end and go,” Akena insisted.
The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) national coordinator, Alice Alaso, said there is a need to unite due to what she described as an existential threat to the rule of law, where lawyers are arrested and charged on their clients’ files.
“Adding Lukwago to the case file that he has been handling is a concern of deterioration of rule of law following his kidnap and arrest,” Alaso said.
The FDC deputy president for northern region and Obongi County Member of Parliament, Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, said they are concerned about the arrest of political prisoners who are allegedly tortured before facing the courts of law.
“Instead of the Uganda Police Force summoning or arresting civilian Lukwago, it was the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers who came to arrest him, causing panic among family members as if he is a serving or former UPDF officer,” Fungaroo said.
He added that the manner in which political activists are arrested should concern the general public, including religious leaders.
PFF deputy president in charge of Buganda and former Buikwe South Member of Parliament, Michael Bayigga Lulume, said they will continue pursuing all legal means to bring justice to arrested party members.
“This is a concern for every political leader who is still in the opposition. We have to agree to work together to arrest the situation at hand,” he added.