FDC delegates' conference on amid poll chaos

By Nicholas Wassajja & Alfred Wandera

KAMPALA - The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party heads to the national delegates conference on Friday to elect new party leaders amid controversies from the grassroots elections.

Rubaga division in Kampala has had the biggest share of the disagreements among the party members over the election of district leaders who are supposed to form the list of the delegates to vote during the Friday meet.

FDC electoral commission chairman, Dan Mugarura, told New Vision that elections in Rubaga will go on today (Wednesday) after two rival factions failed to agree through consensus.

"We had tasked Faridah Nakabugo and Jane Lubega to engage their teams and agree on how to share among themselves the eight district executive positions but they failed to reach a consensus. We are organizing elections tomorrow morning [Wednesday]," said Mugarura.

Faridah Nakabugo is the Rubaga South FDC chairperson-elect, while Jane Lubega is the party chairperson-elect for Rubaga North.

The elections that had been slated for last weekend had to be postponed to Monday but still disagreements persisted.

The differences are between the two camps of Rubaga division LC3 chairperson, Joyce Nabosa Ssebugwawo, who is also the party national chairperson, and that of Hakim Lubinga.

Ssebugwawo and Lubinga are the frontrunners for the position of Rubaga chairperson. According to the FDC structure, all the five divisions of Kampala are treated as districts.
 

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Joyce Ssebugwawo (L) chats with Dan Mugarurra, the FDC electoral chief before an FDC NEC meeting. (Credit: Roderick Ahimbazwe)

Supporters from the camp of Ssebugwawo argue that all elections for the district executive should be held immediately while those in support of Lubinga hailing from Rubaga South constituency want some executive positions shared equally through consensus.  

Catherine Nagawa, the Rubaga division deputy mayor and a supporter of Lubinga, who was defeated in the contest for the Rubaga North constituency chairpersonship, told New Vision that they want to agree on some positions by consensus because it has been happening since elections started at the village level.

Nagawa was trounced by Jane Lubega who is widely seen as a strong supporter of Ssebugwawo.

Poll mayhem

Besides Rubaga division, grassroots elections in Nakawa and Makindye divisions of Kampala that were scheduled to end Tuesday had not been completed as the leaders were still grappling with petitions to the electoral commission by the time of writing this.

FDC had to stop its elections in Nakawa due to complaints of electoral malpractice following allegations that a group of kanyama men (bouncers) attempted to participate in the polls.
 

FDC president Maj. Gen. General Mugisha Muntu (L) FDC president is greeted by a party member before the meeting. (Credit: Roderick Ahimbazwe)

In Makindye West constituency, supporters of the elected chairperson, Edward Sabuka, are accused of having voted more than once by supporters of Umar Kafeero, who was defeated.

Sabuka said: "They have petitioned the electoral commission saying that I rigged the elections but I am willing to go back to the polls if their petition is successful."

The party secretary general, Alice Alaso, told journalists at FDC headquarters on Tuesday that they have so far received grassroots election results from 105 districts and only six had not yet filed their returns.

"But we are hopeful that by Wednesday, all the election results will be with the electoral commission in order for all the delegates to be accredited for the Friday's conference," she said.

The delegates will elect fresh party leadership in 35 positions, except that of the president whose term of office will expire in 2017.

Major General (retired) Mugisha Muntu is the current party president.

The meeting that will be held at the Uganda Manufacturers' Association (UMA) Main Exhibition Hall, Lugogo, is also expected to adopt the agenda for August’s delegates’ conference that will elect the party flagbearer for the 2016 presidential elections.

The conference will among others elect four vice presidents, national chairperson with four deputies, treasurer general and three deputies, the legal secretary, party mobilisers and the most contested for secretary general seat with two deputies.

Former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Kampala Woman MP Nabilah Naggayi Sempala, deputy secretary general Kassiano Wadri and Tororo County MP Geoffrey Ekanya are some of those expected to bid for the highly contested-for position of secretary general.