Democratic Party (DP) President General Norbert Mao has declared that his party has outgrown regional politics and is now positioning itself as a truly national force.
Speaking at a press conference following his reelection at the party’s delegates conference in Mbarara, Mao said the DP had moved beyond the central-region focus that defines other opposition parties.
“We left the business of being a provincial party to NUP,” Mao stated in a pointed jab at the National Unity Platform. His remarks underscore a new phase in DP’s strategy: nationwide engagement rather than Kampala-centric politics.
Mao credited DP’s electoral victory to the party’s decision to campaign in regions his opponents had long neglected.
“We won because we reached where others were not reaching. While others were rotating around Kampala and thinking Kampala is the whole of Uganda, for us, we went where they have never gone,” he explained.
The newly reelected leader said the election process in Mbarara was peaceful, despite media focus on a minor disruption.
“The cameras were focusing on the small incidents, but the delegates’ conference was largely peaceful,” he clarified, citing only a two-minute commotion handled swiftly by police.
Mao emphasised that DP is charting a new course built on national healing, dialogue, and transformation. “This country needs healing. This country needs dialogue,” he said.
In a nod to DP’s historical roots, Mao referenced the statesmanship of founding leader Benedicto Kiwanuka, who once reached out to then-Katikkiro Michael Kintu, framing today’s strategy as an extension of that legacy.
The DP leader also called for unity within the party, inviting those unhappy with the outcome to return.
“I have ever lost an election and I have ever won an election, so I know how it feels,” he said, urging a regroup around shared goals. Mao also condemned threats against election officials, particularly Kennedy Mutenyu, describing them as “futile.”
