Gen Muntu’s exit was a big setback to FDC - Amuriat

FDC party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • In 2018, Gen Muntu announced his departure from FDC.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president,Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, has said the exodus of former party president, Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, and other senior members was a big blow to the party.

While meeting party leaders in Masindi District at the weekend, Mr Amuriat said losing Gen Muntu and other MPs who followed him to create the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) was a great challenge.

“I took over the leadership and thereafter, some members felt uncomfortable with me being in the party, Gen Muntu and many MPs decided to leave. It was unfortunate,’’  he said.

Mr Amuriat recalled that it was a difficult time for the party to focus on the 2021 General Election when senior members were leaving.

“It was a very difficult time because a former president, a former secretary general and 26 MPs were leaving at a time when a new leader was coming in. So I thank those who decided to stay even if you were angry, you said ‘FDC is our home, we shall stay’,’’ the FDC president said.

According to Mr Amuriat, Gen Muntu would have been the FDC presidential flagbearer if he had not left since he (Amuriat) had planned to contest for MP.

‘‘Our first choice for FDC presidential flag bearer was Dr Kizza Besigye, we engaged him three years before the elections of 2021, asking him to contest again, and he said he wouldn’t,’’ Mr Amuriat said.

“So we decided when it was now getting close to elections. We discussed among ourselves, l wanted to go back to my constituency to be in Parliament,” he added.

According to Mr Amuriat,FDC appointed then Kasese MP Robert Centenary to organise talks with Gen Muntu and other MPs who had left.

“So we are actually talking to our brothers and sisters to return to the party, we started this programme in Kasese and Mr  Centenary, who had also followed Gen Muntu, decided to come back to FDC, we harmonised and welcomed him back to the party. Now, he is the one who is mobilising across the country with us and is handling that,’’  the FDC leader said.

In 2018, Gen Muntu announced his departure from FDC. 

In his four-page statement, which he described as a letter to the nation, Gen Muntu said he, and a group of other members, had resolved to leave the party partly because of irreconcilable differences with the then party leadership under Mr Amuriat.

Mr  Joab Businge, the Masindi Municipality MP, said FDC members should start local fundraising to help establish party offices in their district.

“The offices will ease our work in mobilisation and getting more candidates for positions in 2026,” Mr Businge said.