By Andrew Victor Mawanda Naimanye
The President of the Democratic Front (DF) and Member of Parliament for Nyendo-Mukungwe, Mathias Mpuuga, has reiterated his commitment to serious, issue-driven politics, cautioning against treating politics as a theatrical contest or personal project.
Speaking during NBS Morning Breeze on Tuesday, Mpuuga addressed the growing speculation around his possible presidential bid in the 2026 general elections and the broader status of opposition politics in Uganda.
“My engagement in politics is not a matter of comedy. Whatever I’ve been involved in has been of consequence. I’m not among those who say I must be on the ballot paper,” Mpuuga said. “The decision to have a presidential candidate is not a personal matter, but a party matter.”
Mpuuga clarified that while he currently serves as the President of the Democratic Front, that position does not automatically entitle him to be the party's presidential flag bearer in the upcoming elections.
“Under the constitution of the DF, being the president of the party does not guarantee that you are the presidential candidate. Many people have expressed interest, and the decision will be made by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC),” he stated.
His remarks come at a time when, as of Monday, two DF members had picked presidential nomination forms but had not yet returned them.
“The DF isn't a rotary club, it is a political party that seeks to run this country,” Mpuuga asserted. “If the party selects me as their flag bearer, I have no option but to comply.”
Assessing the current state of Uganda’s opposition landscape, Mpuuga addressed concern over what he described as sabotage and ideological drift among some opposition actors.
“The political opposition has lost its way. There are opposition groups that are secretly serving other agendas. When we try to do something to catapult the opposition forward, they sabotage those moves. I have seen this firsthand,” he said.
According to Mpuuga, merely having a political "agenda" is no longer enough.
“The agenda alone cannot give the opposition the gravitas needed to succeed in elections,” he said. “We must speak to everyone willing to find a way out of the woods. The only way the opposition can remain relevant and survive is by uniting.”
Mpuuga emphasised that DF supports elections as the path to power, but criticized the current electoral environment as fundamentally unfair.
“Leadership must result from elections. We have questioned how elections are organised, but that doesn't mean elections should be scrapped,” he said. “The NRM goes into elections with an unlawful advantage. This is what we wanted to address with electoral reforms. Unfortunately, that debate was lost in the chest-thumping within the opposition.”
The Former Leader Of Opposition also took the podium to advise the opposition to strategically prepare for an Uganda without President Museveni.
“We are at a point where Gen. Museveni is slowly and steadily exiting the stage. The opposition must understand how to behave in such a situation,” he cautioned.
“Eventually, when Museveni leaves, does he leave with the NRM? It’s possible that the NRM could stay—due to the conduct of the opposition.”
He warned that unless the opposition becomes strategically prepared, they may miss the opportunity to lead.
“The opposition must prepare itself for a takeover. To do that, it must understand how power is held and transferred—including how to approach the military,” he added.
Mpuuga also reiterated a nationwide mobilisation tour aimed at building support and strengthening party structures.
“On Thursday, we shall be in Soroti. On Friday, we shall be in Jinja. Next week, we head to Acholi (Gulu), mobilising people,” he revealed. “We are doing this to cut costs and gain support.”
He emphasized that the DF is not driven by populism, but by ideology, discipline, and long-term vision.
“Political parties are carriers of ideology. They must drive the national agenda. If a group fails to raise a meaningful agenda, you have a right to question its wisdom,” he said.
