FDC’s Amuriat issues report card of his100 days in office

Display. FDC President Patrick Oboi Amuria addresses a news conference at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi yesterday. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA

What you need to know:

  • Mr Salim Papa Were and Mr German Amanya, the incoming guild presidents for Makerere and Kyambogo universities respectively, were congratulated over their wins.
  • In his absence, Mr Paul Mwiru, also deputy party spokesperson, was congratulated for his win in the Jinja East Municipality by-election.

Kampala. The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuria, has issued an account of what he has so far done since his searing-in 100 days ago.
Addressing the media at the party’s headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala, yesterday, Mr Amuriat cited some of his achievements as being able to talk to his opponents during the party presidential race, party cohesion, revitalising of party structures, reaching out to other opposition parties, chairing various meetings within the party and spearheading the formation of the appointing a committee, among others.

Ignores NRM
He, however, said he will not bother to reach out to the ruling National Resistance Movement because they are not interested.
“What can you earn from a party (NRM) which is just fighting against the citizens to selfishly keep themselves in power? We shall continue to fight them through Tubalemese campaign,” Mr Amuriat said.

Asked why there seems to exist factions as opposed to his promise of bringing the party together in his first 60 days, Mr Amuriat said some people are slow at healing.

“I know you are asking about Gen [Mugisha] Muntu. You see when I met with Gen Muntu on December 1 and 8, he told me he was going on a countrywide consultative meetings but as a party, we did not endorse that activity. If he finishes his consultations and he feels like coming back, the door is still open,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the FDC spokesman, said there is need to take a collective responsibility in the failures within the party.
“We are all humans, if we have failures it shouldn’t be only Amuriat to answer, we all have to shoulder the blame. If some people have remained defiant within the party, that should be our internal problem to deal with,” Mr Ssemujju said.

Unattainable
FDC vice president Alice Alaso said the promises made by Mr Amuriat are unattainable.
“Reclaiming victory from President Museveni can only be done by God not us humans. I don’t know the parameters he [Amuriat] has used to say all this but all I know is that the party has deep-rooted challenges, but if he has attained all this in this short time then that is miraculous and phenomenal,” she said.

Meanwhile, FDC congratulated their members over the victories they got last week.
Mr Salim Papa Were and Mr German Amanya, the incoming guild presidents for Makerere and Kyambogo universities respectively, were congratulated over their wins.
In his absence, Mr Paul Mwiru, also deputy party spokesperson, was congratulated for his win in the Jinja East Municipality by-election.

Party divisions

On December 1, 2017, the former Kumi Member of Parliament ascended to the helm of FDC party after winning his opponents by 57.6 per cent of the total votes cast at the delegates’ conference in Namboole. On Sunday this week, he made 100 days in office amid divisions in the party.