“What you’re doing is outside our constitution,” Dan Matsiko tells Dr. Besigye Camp to back off

By Innocent Arinaitwe

NATIONAL:

In a press release issued today by the Aspiring FDC President, Dan Matsiko Malcolm, to the press, it was explained that Dr. Kizza Besigye, Honorable Chaapa Karuhanga, Ssemujju Nganda, Mwijukye Francis, and others who reside at Katonga House should stop using the gazetted FDC logos, or else they could face criminal charges.

The statement released explained that several frantic efforts to reconcile the Katonga group, a disgruntled faction led by Dr. Kizza Besigye, with the mainstream FDC elected leaders have been squashed by Dr. Kizza Besigye himself. The ongoing animosity within the party is caused by his chaotic supporters who lack the authority and political mandate to independently dictate matters of FDC’s internal governance at this time.

The patience of the Najjanankumbi elected FDC leadership has been stretched to its limits by the certified group of individuals leading a campaign of badmouthing, headed by none other than Dr. Kizza Besigye and his associates. Firstly, there was an effort led by the respected Honorable Jack Sabiiti, the former Treasurer General, and his team, who engaged Dr. Kizza Besigye and his assistants regarding the issues at hand. However, Dr. Kizza Besigye chose not to grant them an audience. Instead, he sent his aides to initiate baseless statements in the media, containing wild and serious allegations against the current elected FDC Najjanankumbi leadership.

Secondly, there was an attempt by the Special Elders Committee (SEC) to engage Dr. Kizza Besigye and other stakeholders. However, the Katonga group was not honest and sincere in their submissions. They lacked facts and substantial evidence to implicate the leadership of the party at Najjanankumbi in any wrongdoing. Eventually, rather than summoning the Special Elders Committee and presenting his grievances for further consideration, Dr. Kizza Besigye and his associates chose to abstain from the crucial FDC stakeholders and leadership meeting on July 28, 2023. They only appeared at the Katonga press conference later to criticize the Special Elders Committee report and recommendations. Furthermore, they dispatched their assistants to Fairway Hotel to propagate division within the FDC party through baseless statements and allegations, even urging significant resignations from the party’s main leadership positions. This conduct was deemed unacceptable and outrageous. Just because Dr. Besigye has a history of resignations, does he expect every leader to follow suit? Consider his resignations from medical practice to join the NRA rebels of Yoweri Museveni in the early 80s, and from the army at the rank of colonel, while his peers attained the rank of generals.

Thirdly, the new party whip, Honorable Yusuf Nsibambi, also attempted to engage Dr. Kizza Besigye by calling for dialogue and closed-door deliberations to resolve the apparent misunderstanding between the two factions. However, Dr. Besigye and his supporters declined and instead opted for issuing statements in the media and engaging in noisy activities on a daily basis.

The constant insults from the Katonga, Sharing Hall, and Fairway Hotel groups are no longer fashionable or beneficial. Instead, they only serve to incite violence and create divisions within the FDC party. Such behavior cannot be tolerated, as it goes against the FDC’s laws outlined in the party constitution.

Given this backdrop, the FDC party leadership is left with no choice but to exercise the authority vested in it by FDC delegates and constitutional principles. This includes defending and safeguarding the party from disruptive and self-serving individuals who are sowing discord and hostility. Such individuals must be dealt with firmly and referred to the disciplinary committee, or they should promptly resign from their party positions to prevent tarnishing the party’s reputation.

The above approach has been meticulously followed and executed by the Najjanankumbi leadership. However, those sowing division within the party continue to persist in their actions. Examples of recent actions include:

Proscovia Salaamu Musumba making threatening statements against the FDC presidency and the Secretary General in the media.
Ibrahim Semujju Nganda insulting the party leadership, referring to them as lunatics, and accusing them of being under the influence of illegal drugs. He even belittled fellow opposition lawmaker, Honorable Muwanga Kivumbi, a well-respected voice of reason in both the tenth and eleventh parliament.
Mwijukye Francis leading nine other lawmakers to wrongly assume that they have the authority to appoint individuals to speak in Parliament as MPs, rather than adhering to the FDC party’s National Working Committee, which serves as the party cabinet.
Doreen Nyanjura making baseless allegations about the leadership at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi during a televised interview. She falsely claimed that the FDC party lacked leadership and was instead merely composed of “agents” of President Museveni.
The FDC party leadership has repeatedly requested those involved in blackmail, backstabbing, and badmouthing the party to provide concrete evidence to support their wild allegations. However, these disgruntled individuals have failed to present any substantial evidence. The Najjanankumbi leadership has shown great patience, yet lies continue to be manufactured against the party’s leadership, tarnishing the image of duly elected officials. Some party members have even organized meetings without following proper procedures, attempting to make decisions on behalf of the party’s rank and file in the upcoming month. Such meetings are both illegal and unacceptable, as they misuse the name, logo, and regalia of the FDC.

Having detailed the events above, the party structures, including the youth league, assert that anyone opposing the elected FDC leadership is inherently opposing the FDC party of Uganda. Consequently, they are deemed enemies of party unity and development. It is for this reason, among others, that the newly elected leadership of the Kampala district of FDC has taken charge of the FDC Kampala office, safeguarding it from those attempting to foster division within the party structures.

The FDC party issues a warning to those planning chaos under the guise of the party’s name to cease such actions immediately. The FDC leadership and its supporters have endured enough baseless and unfounded allegations from Dr. Kizza Besigye and his associates. It is now time for Dr. Kizza Besigye and his group to either align themselves with the party’s values or to depart from the FDC, without jeopardizing the lives of party supporters and the general public.

The FDC party is a registered political party in Uganda, not a rebel organization. The party adheres to a constitution that is in harmony with the constitution of Uganda. Therefore, any actions that deviate from the FDC constitution and the national constitution are deemed criminal and should be addressed according to the party’s and the country’s laws. The party emphasizes that those seeking to create disorder and confusion within the party through chaotic behavior should choose the democratic route, or they will bear the responsibility for attempting to undermine the party’s stability and integrity within the broader public sphere.

It’s essential to recall that the FDC, as a political party, has faced similar challenges in the past. Instances like Beti Kamya’s departure from the FDC party led to animosity within the party. More recently, the refusal of Abdul Katuntu to yield his position as COSASE chairman to Mubarak Munyagwa in the tenth Parliament created tension. Additionally, the significant defection of former Party President Mugisha Muntu, former Secretary General Alice Alaso, former 2 LOPs Winnie Kizza and Latigo, as well as numerous MPs and party officials, posed challenges. Despite these hurdles, the FDC party rebranded itself and established a resilient leadership. It is anticipated that the FDC will navigate through these current challenges and emerge even stronger as the preferred political party for the majority of Ugandans in the 2026 elections.

Dan Matsiko Malcolm, a pioneering member of the party, former party Presidential candidate in 2017, External Mobilizer in Diaspora chapters, former Youth Chairman, Spokesperson, and former Student Leader in the FDC, expressed these sentiments.