NUP's life expectancy may be shorter than FDC,DP's- Walter Lubega Mukaku

Former presidential candidate Walter Lubega Mukaku has expressed that the National Unity Platform (NUP) may have a shorter lifespan than the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Democratic Party (DP), despite its initial promise and potential to become a strong and vibrant party.

NUP is led by Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, while DP is led by Norbert Mao, who also serves as the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Mukaku's comments came on Wednesday after he led a group identifying themselves as the DP-Bloc in announcing their termination of cooperation with NUP.

Accompanied by former Makindye East MP Michael Mabikke, Mukaku accused NUP's leadership of dictatorial tendencies that hindered their plans to effect regime change in Uganda.

The discontented members claimed that NUP had shifted its focus from the struggle for regime change to internal conflicts within the opposition, rather than targeting President Museveni.

Mukaku was one of the early supporters of Kyagulanyi, assisting him when he contested Apollo Katinti in the Kyaddondo East by-election in 2017.

Speaking on the "Big Talk" on Next Radio, former Kasese Municipality MP Robert Centenary lamented the loss of foundational members from many political parties.

"Human behaviour is costing us a lot. Intrigue and suspicion is the cancer eating us up," he said.

Centenary pointed out that propagandists are exacerbating the situation by creating stories that foster distrust among party members.

"Politics is like a song. Today it will be a hit song, tomorrow it will be down. The other day it was FDC, now it is NUP. Maybe FDC will come back again. Political parties have a life span but it depends on creativity," he noted.

He further commented on the prevailing political environment.

"When they see you coming up, they say you are a mole. I wish we could return to the era of Inter Party Cooperation. At the moment, the landscape is very ripe for us to cause the change that we desire," he said.

Centenary also highlighted systemic challenges facing multi-party democracy, stating, "Our biggest challenge is that most of our political parties have defined themselves around issues they are against rather than those they stand for. The citizens have also fallen prey to that. It is the easiest way to mobilize them against the regime."