By Julius Dumba
Journalist, Chairperson of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) Kampala, and Publicity Secretary, Democratic Party Lubaga North Constituency
December 31, 2025
As the sun sets on 2026, Uganda’s oldest political party, the Democratic Party (DP), founded in the 1950s on the noble principles of truth and justice, finds itself at a crossroads. Once a beacon of hope for multiparty democracy, the party today stands deeply fractured, its independence compromised, and its future uncertain ahead of the 2026 general elections. This is not the assessment of an outsider, but the painful observation of a committed member who has served in its youth wing and structures. The events of 2025, particularly the chaotic National Delegates Conference in Mbarara and the unresolved legal battles that followed, have exposed wounds that can no longer be ignored.
The root of the current crisis traces back to the cooperation agreement signed on July 20, 2022, between the by then DP President General Norbert Mao and President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM). While the deal secured Mr Mao’s appointment as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, it came at a heavy price: accusations if not realities of co-optation, loss of opposition credibility, and a steady erosion of the party’s grassroots base. In the years that followed, court challenges, resignations, and defections became the norm. By 2024, even as renewal talks emerged, voices within the party, including my own colleagues in the Uganda Young Democrats , began questioning whether the promised benefits had materialised.
2025 became the year these tensions exploded.
In the lead-up to the 12th National Delegates Conference scheduled for Mbarara in late May, the Uganda Young Democrats mobilised vigorously to defend the party’s democratic traditions. We petitioned the Electoral Commission repeatedly, highlighting irregularities in delegate selection, inflated nomination fees that excluded ordinary members, and the manipulation of youth quotas. As UYD leaders, including myself and former UYD president Ismail Kiirya, we gathered evidence and signatures from thousands of concerned members. Protests were held at the party headquarters on Balintuma Road, and online campaigns under hashtags like #ReviveDP gained momentum. Our demand was simple: let the conference be free, fair, and reflective of the party constitution.
What transpired in Mbarara from May 30 to June 2 was far from that ideal.
The conference at Asamar Hotel descended into chaos. Delegates faced endless delays over accreditation, with credible claims of “ghost delegates” inserted to tilt the balance. The midnight announcement excluding strong challenger Richard Sebamala MP who was ejected during the conference from the presidential race triggered outrage. Chairs were thrown, proceedings halted, and police intervention became necessary. Allegations of vote-buying and bribery surfaced openly. Despite boycotts by hundreds of delegates, the elections proceeded under questionable conditions, with tallying controversially shifted to private hotel rooms. Mr Mao was declared winner with 969 votes against Dr Michael Lulume Bayiga’s 339 and Eria Alitia’s 52.
The aftermath has been a string of legal battles. In July, fellow party members, including Edith Byanyima, Henry Lameck Kasozi Kamya, and myself, filed a judicial review application (Byanyima C. Edith & Others v. Democratic Party & Others) at the Mbarara High Court seeking to nullify the conference outcomes. We presented affidavits detailing procedural violations, unconstitutional amendments from 2020, and the stifling effect of exorbitant fees on grassroots participation. Though Justice Allan Paul M. Nshimye dismissed the case in September on technical grounds, an appeal is underway. Meanwhile, a separate petition by 11 senior members led by Richard Sebamala continues to challenge Mr Mao’s re-election, there’s a court appeal in Mbarara and an appeal at the court of appeal at Kampala.
These are not the actions of spoilers, but of patriots trying to rescue a historic institution from collapse.
Quote that statement above 👆
The consequences are plain to see. The party has effectively surrendered the 2026 presidential race by endorsing President Museveni by individuals under the cooperation agreement, while receiving no reciprocal support for its parliamentary candidates. Traditional strongholds in Buganda continue to slip toward the National Unity Platform. Defections mount, membership dwindles, and the youth who were once the vibrant heart of DP feel increasingly alienated.
As a journalist and a DP member who believes deeply in its founding values, I must speak plainly: the current path risks turning the Democratic Party into a mere appendage of the ruling regime. Survival through compromise is understandable in a difficult political environment, but survival without principle is surrender.
The year 2025 has shown that the party still has committed members ready to fight for its soul. The youth, women, and grassroots organisers who petitioned, protested, and pursued justice in court represent the hope for revival. What we need now is genuine reconciliation if not an over haul, a return to internal democracy, and a clear reaffirmation of DP’s independence.
As we enter 2026, the choice is ours: revive the Democratic Party as a credible, principled opposition force, or watch it fade into irrelevance. For the sake of Uganda’s democracy, I pray we choose revival.
Julius Dumba is a journalist, Chairperson of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) Kampala, and Publicity Secretary for the Democratic Party in Lubaga North Constituency.
