Gen Muntu meets Amuriat over FDC exit

Agather Atuhaire

After eight months of country-wide consultations, former Forum for Democratic Change party president Gen Mugisha Muntu appears to have reached a decision to leave the party.

A meeting between him and the party’s leadership to inform them of this decision is underway at Fairway Hotel, The Nile Post can confirm.

In attendance is former party Secretary General Alice Alaso, party elder Sewava Serubiri and the newly elected Arua Municipality MP Kassiano Wadri from Muntu’s side.

From the side of the party, the meeting is attended by party President Patrick Amuriat Oboi, Rubaga Division Mayor Joyce Sebugwawo former Party Administrator Wycliff Bakandonda, Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munyagwa and Wakiso party chairperson Caleb Muhanguzi.

Although the Muntu’s group had wanted Dr Kizza Besigye, the founding  party president to be part of the meeting, sources say he refused.

Besigye, according to sources, wants to allow the party leadership to resolve the issues between the two warring factions without interfering.

“Besigye has said he is just an elder in the party like Ruzindana (Augustine) and Mushega (Amanya) so he doesn’t want to get involved at this stage," a source has told The Nile Post.

The decision has come after eight months of countrywide consultations which were announced after the party’s presidential elections of Nov. 2017 in which Muntu was defeated by Amuriat.

Muntu has always advocated for organisation and building of structures.

While Muntu insisted that the two strategies-defiance and organisation complement one another, Amuriat campaigned on a one strategy premise saying that two strategies would confuse party supporters.

This might be a big blow to Amuriat who was hoping for a reconciliation of the divergent views and strategies for all the members of the party to continue working together.

On August 23, Amuriat posted on the party’s WhatsApp platform where the war between the two factions is always raging, asking the members to ceasefire.

“Friends, where is the bitterness coming from?” asked Amuriat in a post. “Can’t we do something to reconcile any differences we may have? Comrades my thinking on proposing a meeting over drink is that we can break the ice by engaging even informally to no detriment. An elders committee will be set up very soon to commence the process of reconciliation. I hope this will attract all our grievances.”

But many, especially Muntu’s supporters, doubted Amuriat’s will and commitment towards a reconciliation.

They say his actions, especially of sacking most of the MPs who supported Muntu from Parliament opposition leadership,  did not reflect any desire for reconciliation.

His supporters and fellow party leaders, they add, have been saying in the media that the Muntu group can leave if it wants to.

This group has also continued to refer to Muntu and some of his supporters as moles.

When Amuriat’s suggestion was received with scorn, he responded that it was time to move on with those willing to move with him.

“I’ve been on my knees in the last 8 months for everybody to come with me, some have heeded my call while others have completely refused.  What do I do? Stay on my knees forever and yet I’ve a journey to make? I will make the wise decision of moving on.” Amuriat posted.

At a meeting with his supporters on September 13, Muntu had suggested that perhaps the first call should be to give the party a chance to resolve the bickering that has rocked the party for over two years but his supporters rejected the proposal out-rightly.

The group said they won’t accept to be derailed by the party any longer. They argued that if they give the party the option of staying if the issues are resolved, the party will agree to resolve the issues just to stall them and will never resolve them.

“And we honestly do not want to spend another day in rope-pulling,” said the source. “We have wasted enough time. And besides, even Muntu knows that these issues are irreconcilable”