Excitement has gripped Soroti City as Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supporters prepare for presidential flag bearer Nathan Mandala Mafabi’s much-anticipated rally at Arrow Square.
The event is expected to test the party’s political strength in its historical Teso stronghold.
Soroti City was on Friday awash with blue as preparations intensified for the arrival of FDC presidential flag bearer Nathan Mandala Mafabi.
Supporters flooded the streets waving flags, singing party anthems, and chanting messages of change ahead of the grand rally set for Arrow Square — a venue long regarded as the symbolic heart of opposition politics in the Teso sub-region.
By mid-morning, groups of youth, traders, boda-boda riders, and students had joined in the mobilization drive, painting the city in FDC colours.
The atmosphere reflected what many residents described as a “revival of the opposition spirit” that defined Soroti’s political identity in past elections.
Soroti holds a storied place in Uganda’s opposition politics. In 2006, the city stunned the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) establishment when FDC’s wave swept aside then State Minister for Health, Captain Mike Mukula.
The 2022 Soroti East Division by-election later reaffirmed the area’s opposition resilience when FDC’s Moses Attan Okia narrowly lost to NRM’s Herbert Edmund Ariko in a court-contested race.
“This visit is not just another rally — it’s a reaffirmation that FDC remains alive and strong,” said Soroti City Woman MP Joan Alobo Acom, one of the lead mobilizers for Mafabi’s rally.
She was joined by Soroti District Woman MP Ann Adeke Ebaju and former MP Moses Attan Okia in mobilization efforts across the city.
The rally comes barely a week after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni held a massive NRM gathering at Soroti Sports Ground, where he outlined government achievements in infrastructure and wealth creation.
Analysts see Mafabi’s visit as a strategic counterbalance intended to reassert FDC’s grassroots power in Eastern Uganda.
“The real test of FDC’s strength in Soroti will depend on whether the rally proceeds without disruption,” said Dr. Peter Opolot, a political analyst from Mbale.
“If security remains neutral, this could mark a defining moment for the opposition ahead of the next general elections.”
As night fell, Arrow Square buzzed with activity. Vendors erected stalls, technicians tested sound systems, and supporters draped banners across major roads.
For many in Soroti, Mafabi’s rally is not merely political—it is a declaration of persistence, identity, and the enduring hope for change in the Teso sub-region.
