Mao is strategically positioning himself to reclaim the Democratic Party’s (DP) leadership role. Reports suggest that Mao, the current Justice Minister, is planning to secure a small, loyal group to vote for him at the upcoming National Delegates Conference, scheduled for 30 May to 1 June 2025. To achieve this, he has selectively issued membership cards only to his supporters, informing those who oppose him that additional cards are still being printed.
However, these cards are essential for voting in the party’s upcoming elections, which will unfold over the next two months: Village Committee elections from 1-5 April, Parish Committee elections from 7-12 April, Sub-County Committee elections from 14-19 April, Constituency Committee elections from 21-26 April, and District Committee elections from 28 April to 3 May. Most cards in circulation were distributed in 2024, and only those holding them can participate in this critical voting process.
The registration and election processes are further complicated by confusion and financial limitations. District branches, for instance, have been allocated a mere UGX 200,000 to conduct elections, raising questions among DP leaders about the whereabouts of the UGX 2.5 billion the government has provided to the party over the past four years. The Electoral Commission allocates DP UGX 680 million annually based on its parliamentary representation, yet members claim they have no insight into how Mao utilizes these funds.
The lack of resources to register village members, coupled with chairmen not receiving membership cards to distribute, has left many in the party demotivated. In Kampala, DP supporters failed to register, and sources report that even forming a 20-member committee for villages has been challenging due to a lack of willing participants. In Masaka, a traditional DP stronghold, the party has struggled to fill its organizational structures ahead of the April and May elections.
Some members are refusing to pay the UGX 2,000 registration fee, unwilling to financially support Mao, with several threatening to abandon the party altogether. Meanwhile, rival political parties like NUP, DA, and FDC are capitalizing on this discontent, actively encouraging DP supporters to abandon the party and let it collapse under Mao’s leadership.
However, independent analysts argue that this approach may be counterproductive. They suggest that if DP members wish to wrest control from Mao, they should instead mobilize, organize, and unite to register and participate in the upcoming elections—starting with the Village Committee votes in early April and culminating at the National Delegates Conference in May—to vote him out and reclaim the party’s future.
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