PFF commits to national dialogue

The People's Front for Freedom (PFF) has expressed readiness to participate in the proposed national dialogue by the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) and the National Consultative Forum (NCF), but has set strict conditions, including that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni should not be involved in transition talks.

The party's deputy executive chairman for Buganda, Dr Michael Bayigga Lulume, said PFF was not opposed to dialogue, as some critics claimed, but wanted a purposeful, inclusive and structured process that addresses the root causes of Uganda's political and economic challenges, including the release of political prisoners.

“We are not mere radicals who do not want to listen to others, as many are seen in the media trying to paint a negative picture,” Lulume said on November 9, 2026, at the PFF headquarters on Plot 6, Katonga Road, Kampala.

He was responding to reports from a two-day IPOD-NCF retreat held a fortnight earlier in Jinja and attended by leaders from 27 political parties. The retreat, organised under the guidance of the chief coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Gen. (rtd) Salim Saleh, sought to agree on a new political dialogue roadmap.

Lulume welcomed the proposal for a national dialogue but insisted that it must be purposeful, inclusive and structured.

“Many people have taken it upon themselves that PFF does not want dialogue, but we do not want an oppressor-led dialogue. We need transition talks where President Museveni is not a factor, or any member of his family, in the picture of the transition government,” he noted.

He said the parameters of the dialogue must be clearly defined, with all parties involved contributing to the agenda, including the 16 mother regions which paved the way for Uganda's Independence in 1962.

“Dialogue is not about PFF and political parties' participation alone, but all Ugandans, and it should reflect global standards with clear guarantors for implementation identified. This must be either the African Union (AU) or East African Community (EAC),” Lulume said.

Conditions for dialogue

Lulume said that, acting on the instructions of the party's founding leader, Dr Col. Kiiza Besigye, PFF would only participate in dialogue if it was held on neutral ground, not at State House, Kapeeka Industrial Park or Gen Saleh's home in Gulu.

“We do not want an intimidating environment where the participants would be treated as inferior to the government. If it is the government which wants dialogue, President Museveni himself must write the document and stamp it over the same cause stating reasons,” Lulume insisted.

He said the agenda must not be drawn up by the Government but should instead be defined by political parties, representatives of the business community, religious leaders, civil society organisations, traditional leaders and the 16 nation states which formed Uganda in 1962.

According to Lulume, an agenda drafted by the Government would predetermine the outcome and turn dialogue into a monologue.

“We need an agenda that comes from the people. Government cannot be both a player and a referee. Let political parties, religious leaders, civil society, business and traditional leaders sit together and define what Uganda needs,” he said.

On the release of political prisoners, Lulume said meaningful dialogue could not take place while opposition supporters, activists and leaders remained in detention on politically motivated charges.

He said confidence-building measures, including the release of prisoners, must precede any talks.

No power-sharing deal

On the possibility of a power-sharing deal, Lulume said there was no such arrangement, arguing that what could happen instead was for other opposition parties to agree to work within the parameters set by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

“There is no power to share. Many, including the Democratic Party (DP) president general and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, entered into a cooperation with NRM, and they have never had any open meeting regarding transition as earlier promised, to instil confidence in those other leaders of other political parties who attended the Jinja retreat,” he said.

Lulume argued that the 2022 DP-NRM cooperation agreement had not been implemented transparently or delivered the promised reforms, making other opposition parties wary of similar arrangements.

He said PFF would not enter into any cooperation or power-sharing arrangement that left the current system intact.

“What we want is transition, not accommodation. We do not want positions in government. We want a new Uganda where power is not personalised,” he said.

Saleh's initiative

Gen. (rtd) Saleh reportedly met Dr Besigye after intervening in his health crisis, although conflicting accounts had emerged from PFF leaders about the nature of their communication.

Saleh told political leaders that Uganda needed a shared outlook for the future.

“We are working out a combined outlook of the Uganda we want together so that you do not inherit our generational quarrels,” he said.

“We hope to be successful with dialogue within three or six months from now,” Gen. Saleh confirmed.

Lulume said PFF respected Saleh's initiative but insisted that dialogue must not be reduced to an arrangement between individuals.

“Gen. Saleh is a senior citizen and we respect him. But dialogue cannot be about Saleh and Besigye alone. It must be institutional, with guarantors, timelines and a clear implementation framework,” he said.

He said PFF wanted the African Union or the East African Community to guarantee any agreement reached, to ensure it was implemented and not abandoned after signing, as had happened with previous dialogue processes.

The IPOD-NCF retreat in Jinja brought together 27 political parties, including the NRM, National Unity Platform (NUP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), DP and PFF, among others, to discuss electoral reforms, political tolerance and post-election reconciliation following the 2026 general elections.

Lulume said PFF would continue consulting its structures across the country before taking a final position, but maintained that its conditions remained firm.

“If government is serious, let it show seriousness. Release political prisoners, agree on neutral venue, agree on neutral guarantors, and let all stakeholders define the agenda. Then we shall sit,” he said.

He added that PFF remained committed to peaceful and democratic means of achieving change, and that dialogue, if properly structured, could provide a path to transition.