Delegates conference: FDC-Katonga faction suffers court setback 

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Katonga faction has accused the Najjanankumbi faction of submitting fake documents to court.

The Katonga faction is led by the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago while the Najjanankumbi faction is led by Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Nanthan Nandala Mafabi. FDC was split into two after the Katonga faction accused Amuriat and Nandala of receiving ‘dirty’ money from President Yoweri Museveni to run Amuriat’s 2021 presidential election bid.

The Katonga faction has since sought to block the delegates’ conference organized by Amuriat. However, it has now emerged that one of the FDC vice chairpersons signed a notice inviting party members to a delegates’ conference slated for today Friday in Kampala. The two factions met at the High court on Thursday for the hearing of an application filed by Lukwago’s group to block the delegates’ conference. 

The cornerstone of the argument was that Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda, the head of the Electoral Commission at Najjanankumbi had no right to call a delegates conference. This right, the Katonga faction argues, is vested only in the chairman of the party, Wasswa Birigwa. However, in a swift turn of events, it emerged that Birigwa’s deputy for Buganda region, Kibuuka Mukalazi had signed the notice calling for the delegates’ conference. 

This prompted Lukwago who was one of the Katonga faction lawyers to dismiss this notice, arguing that it was a forgery. He said that on July 27, the day when Mukalazi apparently signed the notice, he was in a Nairobi hospital receiving treatment. Lukwago said if the court were to admit this notice as permissible, it would have perpetuated an illegality. 

Speaking to journalists after the court hearing, Birigwa said, Mukalazi can’t claim to be working on his behalf because he was present and never gave him the powers to do so. He said even if the court were to allow delegates’ conference, the new leaders that would be elected from this gathering would be nothing but fraudsters. 

Lukwago said that what has transpired in court has shown the extent to which Nandala and his cohorts are willing to go to take FDC from its owners. Lukwago noted that no matter how the court determines the matter, it will not affect how FDC supporters fight for their party. 

Salaamu Musumba, FDC vice chairperson for eastern Uganda, said that she was stunned by the level of treachery by some of the people she has worked with for years. She wondered how Mukalazi could purport to be calling a meeting without first talking to any of his colleagues.