In a recent interview with a local news paper, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda hinted that he might leave the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party due to the ongoing political unrest within the organization. He emphasized that according to the law, he remains a member of FDC until the last year of his current term in office, in line with the Constitution’s provisions.
Under the current legislation, MPs are allowed to join another political party 12 months before the upcoming elections. The next general elections are scheduled for January 12 and February 9, 2026, with the nomination of candidates for presidential, parliamentary, and local government positions set to take place between June and October 2025.
Ssemujju Nganda, who entered politics in March 2010 after a career in journalism spanning nearly 15 years, recently saw his role as FDC spokesperson replaced by John Kikonyogo during the party’s national delegates’ conference in Lugogo, Kampala. Expressing his concerns, Ssemujju stated, “If [President Yoweri] Museveni ultimately gains control of the FDC, as it appears, I will not remain a part of it.”
He further argued that the political landscape is expected to shift significantly in 2026, emphasizing that each election brings a new dynamic in the fight against President Museveni. Ssemujju referenced the unexpected emergence of opposition candidates like Amama Mbabazi in 2016 and Robert Kyagulanyi in 2021 as examples of the unpredictable nature of politics.
The FDC, despite facing allegations that “dirty” money was brought into the party by its leaders from hostile groups, re-elected Patrick Amuriat as party president and Nandala Mafabi as secretary general on October 6. Ssemujju’s faction, led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, claims that the undisclosed funds came from President Museveni to support the 2021 campaigns. Both the FDC leadership and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) deny these allegations.
Richard Todwong, the NRM secretary general, distanced his party from the FDC’s internal issues, suggesting that FDC’s problems stem from a foundation that wasn’t well-structured and from members who defected due to various reasons. He added that the FDC’s leadership disputes were a result of internal confusion and disorganization.
Analysts, including John Kakande, predict that the Lukwago-Ssemujju group may potentially break away from FDC to form a new political entity, anticipating similar breakaway movements from the Democratic Party and the National Unity Platform, both of which have experienced simmering disagreements for nearly two years.