Political parties fight to dominate central Uganda

The changing political environment has left many political parties struggling to form social political bases with some almost not in existence.

After Uganda’s independence, what informed a political party's social political base or where they call home ranged from religion, ethnicity, class and values among many others factors.

A change in the game calls for a change in the players but who commands the central region in the current political space?

Political party bases in Uganda can be traced back to some of the oldest political parties like the Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) where DP was mainly in central region backed by the Catholics, UPC manned the north and parts western of Uganda with a backing of the Anglican Church.

It is the National resistance (NRM) that dislodged the two kings and later FDC claiming almost all the 4 regions of Uganda except Northern Uganda that was battling with the war.

FDC later claimed northern Uganda, tapping into people discontent with government's failure to end the LRA war.

As FDC continued to enjoy majority support from the north, with NRM enjoying support from the rest of the country, then came the People Power movement that morphed into the National Unity Platform (NUP).

NUP, like the last elections showed, dominated the central region.

While some parties have become stronger, others are fading away and are about to become briefcase parties.

NRM’s director of information and publicity Emmanuel Dombo admitted that their political base in central has been encroached on by the opposition who have traded in lies to their supporters.

“They came here with their lies and people believed them,” Dombo said.

NUP’s Coordinator for Buganda region and Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga said there is no doubt they command central region.

“I can say this without doubt that we are deep red in central and east,” Mpuuga noted.

But DP president general, Norbert Mao's disputed this saying the party he leads is still strong in central.

He said NUP is just a wave that will fade.

"FDC used to have support in central but can you call central their base now? No, they faded, NUP will fade as well," he said.

Mao said that more political parties in Uganda are bound to lose their political bases because they have created party gods.

"You see, these parties are making mistakes, creating personalities bigger than parties, if one day these personalities do not wake up, that will be the end," Mao said.

But those watching from outside like Political analyst Mwambustya Ndebesa said that currently, social political bases have been formed around social factors.

"In the current situation where Uganda is, there is a tendency to look for social political basis in ethnic groups and nationality," he said.

Ndebesa added that this has been a make and kill of parties leaving some of the once strongest parties lost.

"FDC’s support was in the north because of the challenges the NRM had with war but now north has moved to NRM leaving FDC hanging. FDC has to find a new social political base. They have to find a new grievance,” Ndebesa said.

Where this leaves the 20 plus registered parties like JEEMA, UPC ,PPP and others in the political sphere is a subject of another debate.