What ANT, PFF political alliance means
“We strongly believe that elections in themselves, as organised by the NRM regime, cannot remove it—even when it is defeated,” Lukwago stated during the event.
PFF, ANT leaders and members after signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at Hotel Africana. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo)
By Nelson Kiva
Journalists @New Vision
KAMPALA - The pace for political clout ahead of 2026 general election is in high gear. Within the opposition vigorous, the political stage has been set, with loose alliances taking shape.
In building a united front against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), two opposition parties: The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ahead of the 2026 general elections. Aliance for National Transformation Party President, Mugisha Muntu shaking hands with PFF President Erias Lukwago after signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at Hotel Africana in Kampala. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo) PFF Party President Erias Lukwago speaking after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alliance for National Transformation Party on Wednesday. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo) Aliance for National Transformation National Coordinator, Alice Alaso Asianut speaking after signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo) Aliance for National Transformation Party President, Mugisha Muntu, during a meeting with PFF on Wednesday. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo) PFF and ANT party leaders after signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday. (Credit: Miriam Najjingo)
The agreement, signed during a joint press conference at Hotel Africana in Kampala yesterday, was witnessed by top leaders of the two parties, including former members of parliament that are seeking reelection under the parties.
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, serving as the interim president of the PFF, leader of ANT Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu and former Serere Woman Member of Parliament Alice Alaso, who serves as the ANT national co-ordinator, announced the pact as a symbol of opposition maturity and strategic collaboration.
The party leaders said the signing marks the latest in a series of efforts by opposition figures to forge unity in their bid to challenge President Yoweri Museveni’s decades-long rule.
The MoU outlines a shared political agenda and operational framework to coordinate their efforts on what they described as a “non-violent defiance civil campaign” aimed at increasing public awareness about citizens’ economic, political, human, and personal rights in the lead-up to the 2026 polls.
“We strongly believe that elections in themselves, as organised by the NRM regime, cannot remove it—even when it is defeated,” Lukwago stated during the event.
He added, “The regime has been clearly defeated several times in elections, but every time they have refused to accept the results, instead robbing the opposition of their victories with impunity and violence.”
Lessons from the past
The leaders jointly emphasized the importance of collective effort over isolated political ambition, warning against what they termed as “fortune hunters” in the opposition ranks.
These, they said, are individuals more focused on securing lucrative positions than genuinely pushing for democratic change.
“Our past experiences should teach us good lessons,” Alaso noted, adding that, “No single opposition party can single-handedly cause regime change. The time for political egos is over; what we need now is purposeful unity.”
Lukwago and Muntu criticised any opposition faction that claims it can independently bring about political change without broader collaboration, calling such stances “subversive to the struggle.”
Key highlights of the MoU
According to the document, the ANT and PFF have agreed to:
Cooperate in the 2026 general election, including exploring the possibility of fielding joint candidates at all levels, ranging from local council positions to parliamentary and presidential contests.
Collaborate on vote protection efforts and other electoral-related activities.
Jointly seek electoral cooperation with other political parties to create a unified opposition electoral platform.
Establish a Common Ground Council and a technical team to advance their objectives, with consensus as the foundation of all decision-making processes.
Alaso said, this structured approach is designed to foster clarity, coordination, and unity among the parties, while leaving the door open for broader alliances with other like-minded opposition formations.
The meeting also attracted former members of parliament who are vying for various positions under the two political parties.
What the alliance means for the 2026 general election
According to Mugisha Muntu, his party is also in talks with National Unity Platform (NUP) for a possible alliance. He said that it is not possible for the political parties to agree 100 percent on issues but that if they agree on the majority of the issues then the parties can collaborate and move towards the fight for the common cause.
With less than 7 months to the 2026 general election, political analysts remain sceptical, arguing that without a clear strategy and shared political will, the likes of ANT–PFF alliances risks becoming yet another fleeting opposition pact with no lasting impact.
New wine in old bottles
Political coalitions are not a new phenomenon in Uganda, it is a common practice that dates back to the 1960s when the country attained political independence from Britain.
Many social and political cleavages emerged on the eve of independence, the most notable being ethnic- and religious-based.
According to Prof. Solomon Asiimwe, an international political and security relations analyst, the test of alliances in Uganda is the selection of competitors for Parliament seats.
“The problem is that the opposition fight for these positions in Parliament. They have talked about challenges that have made them to lose in the past elections, but nothing has changed.
They really have a hard task against the ruling Government which is advantaged in all ways,” Asiimwe said, further noting, “So, such an alliance, cannot create an impact—even though building alliances within the opposition is the way to go.”
According to Asiimwe, it is in order for the opposition to come together because no party can single handedly defeat President Museveni.
Echoing Asiimwe’s analysis, political analyst Charles Rwomushana noted that the opposition cannot form a credible and unified alliance while it remains entangled in deep-rooted structural weaknesses.
He said, “First, they have failed on the electoral commission reforms. Secondly, they cannot even cover 50% of polling stations in the country, let alone placing agents there. The opposition is just using Buganda and the central region to create a stampede but on a national level, they are isolable,” he said.
“Even Besigye and the likes of Mugisha Muntu are no longer a factor in western Uganda anymore. It is the likes of Ssemujju Nganda and Erias Lukwago that are playing as opportunists and looking for a forum where they will be allowed as sole candidates in their constituencies,” he said.
According to Rwomushana, an alliance where there is no consensus on Parliamentary seats, is meaningless.
The missing link
The need for an organisational agenda is what Makerere University history and political don, Prof Mwambutsya Ndebesa said is the missing link.
Gaps in what Ndebesa describes as “converging principles” is the other factor that he said has eaten up all previous alliance episodes within the opposition backyard.
“It is all about what they are allying for. If their agenda is well grounded on social support basis, then; it should be clear with more straight targets and not everybody,” Ndebesa said.
“The agenda of the alliance should not only be to win elections, but rather to have a better country after taking power,” he added.
Past attempts
History shows that under President Yoweri Museveni’s regime, new formations have always come to the fore, two years into an election cycle—although the actors deny them until a year to the polls.
For instance, prior to the 1996 general elections, former Democratic Party (DP), Dr Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, broke ranks with Museveni, who he was serving as a minister, and declared intention to oust him from power.
In the run-up to the 2001 presidential race, ex-Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president, Dr Kizza Besigye, also authored his minimum agenda dossier and announced a rebellion against his Museveni.
In subsequent elections (2006, 2011, 2016), Besigye dominated Opposition politics, with each election cycle getting a surprise new formation, rallying around him.
These formations took the shape of alliances of anti-regime actors from Reform Agenda, Inter-Party-Alliance (IPC) and The Democratic Alliance (TDA).
This TDA was largely a baby of former Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, a man who also broke ranks with his childhood friend, Museveni, to battle for the country’s top job in 2016.
The failure to agree on a single joint candidate to challenge Museveni was the major factor that split the TDA formation, with FDC saying, resolutions of their colleagues were inconsequential.
What party leaders say
Emmanuel Dombo, spokesperson of NRM
These parties are being led by the same individuals who were once together under the FDC and its founder, Dr. Kizza Besigye. They previously failed to agree and even turned on one another, so their renewed collaboration doesn't inspire much hope given their history of failed unity.
While their intentions may be good, this reunion actually highlights a deeper problem — it's the same group of people who couldn't work together before now trying again. As the NRM, we are watching closely and will develop a strategy to respond based on how well they organize themselves. In fact, I invite them to come and join the NRM so we can have a broader discussion. Uganda’s challenges need unity, not endless fragmentation.
Their divisions have done little to help the country, and together in the NRM, we can better address the issues our nation faces.
Sadam Gayira, president of PPP
Where there is a common enemy, you need a common platform. It doesn’t matter if you’re attacking from different directions—what matters is that you are aiming at the same target. Even if all opposition forces do not merge, open channels of communication and collaboration are essential to defeat the common adversary.
The fact that some groups have agreed to work together for the common good is a positive step. It should serve as an eye-opener to other opposition groups who are wasting time fighting senseless internal battles.
As long as the mission is noble and the public expects us to fight for them, leaders must rise above personal differences. I would like to see Mpuuga, Bobi Wine, and others come together—agree to protect the vote, front joint candidates in key areas, and pursue joint election petitions.
These are things we can do collectively without necessarily merging. When opposition groups fight each other, it demoralises the public, and that’s part of the reason nearly 9 million registered voters didn’t turn up on election day. Working together is a powerful principle at every level.
Ken Lukyamuzi, a senior CP party official
What they have done is in consonance with our party’s values, and we wish them well.
However, there is an urgent need for political parties to come together and address these critical issues with the seriousness they deserve.
Parties should advocate for Presidential candidates to be allowed to freely traverse the country. It is surprising that up to now, no opposition political party has formally tabled in Parliament the key electoral reforms proposed by the courts in the past.
These are not just legal technicalities; they are essential for fair competition. We are calling for the removal of the military from electoral processes, equal access to public resources and facilities for all candidates, and reforms to ensure presidential candidates have adequate time to gather and present evidence even when grievances arise.
Election results should be declared at the district and subcounty levels and not just at the electoral commission to enhance transparency, and the courts must go beyond affidavits to consider full evidence from aggrieved candidates.
Abdullah Tiff Mukasa, senior JEEMA party official
What we ultimately aspire to is a level political playing field for all parties. The Political Parties and Organisations Act allows us to form alliances, and as JEEMA, we have previously participated in such arrangements.
However, our experience has often been marred by betrayal, especially from parties that consider themselves dominant and view others as minor players. That said, we welcome alliances that are grounded in shared principles.
Every party brings something unique to the table, and as long as the collaboration isn’t driven by a predetermined agenda that sidelines others, then it is something we can support.