On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, Ms. Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament, accepted the appointment of Yusuf Nsibambi, the Member of Parliament for Mawokota South, as the new opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party whip in Parliament. This decision follows the removal of Ibrahim Ssemujju, the Member of Parliament for Kira Municipality, from the same position by the FDC’s Secretary General, Nathan Nandala Mafabi.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, announced the change in FDC leadership during the plenary sitting on Wednesday. He read a letter to Members of Parliament from Ms. Among, officially acknowledging the appointment of Yusuf Nsibambi as the new FDC Party Whip.
In the letter, Ms. Among stated, “The Secretary General has, via his letter on October 7, 2023, written to me, communicating and confirming the decision of the FDC delegates’ conference appointing Yusuf Nsibambi as FDC Party Whip in Parliament. In light of these circumstances, I accept the designation of Nsibambi as FDC Party Whip.”
Mr. Nsibambi, in response to his appointment, expressed his commitment to working with all FDC members to address societal issues. He said, “I consider this appointment from my party a significant challenge. Given the current situation, it is my responsibility to unite the party and bring a sense of decorum to our debates in Parliament as FDC. I pledge to collaborate with all members, and my role as whip is not that of a supervisor, but rather, I will strive to ensure that we establish common positions and address issues that affect society, rather than engaging in theatrics.”
It’s worth noting that until the 2021 election, the FDC was Uganda’s largest opposition party. However, claims made by its four-time presidential flag bearer, Dr. Kizza Besigye, that the FDC President Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Secretary General Nandala Mafabi had received questionable funds to compromise the party’s integrity during the election, led to divisions within the party.
Dissenters, including National Chairman Ambassador Wasswa Birigwa and spokesman Ssemujju, found a new home at Dr. Besigye’s private office in Kampala. They claimed leadership of the party and convened a separate delegates’ conference that re-elected them.
