By Spy Uganda
Tempers flared violently on Tuesday afternoon at the Democratic Party (DP) headquarters on Balintuma Road, Kampala, as chaos erupted ahead of a planned press conference by party president General Norbert Mao. Party members forcefully stormed the premises, disrupting preparations and forcing a heavy police presence to restore order.
The unrest comes just days before the party’s highly anticipated delegates’ conference scheduled for Friday, May 30, 2025, in Mbarara. The conference, seen as a pivotal moment for the DP, is shaping up to be fiercely contested.
Supporters of Masaka Municipality MP Richard Ssebamala, who is challenging Mao for the party’s top leadership, clashed openly with loyalists of the incumbent president. The faction backing Ssebamala accused Mao and his administration of deliberately manipulating the delegates’ list to exclude rival supporters from participating in the conference.
The allegations center on claims that supporters of Ssebamala, including those of Bukoto Central MP, were removed from the official delegate list without their knowledge or consent. According to Mr. Daniel Mivule, the party’s organizing secretary from Nansana Municipality, all party members were supposed to receive their invitation cards on Tuesday. However, he accused the party leadership of “playing games” to intentionally bar certain delegates from the upcoming event.
“The party administration is intentionally kicking out some of the delegates,” Mivule said, underscoring the deep mistrust brewing within the party ranks.
The situation has raised concerns about internal democracy and transparency within the DP, with many fearing that the current leadership might use administrative tactics to secure their hold on power. As the delegates’ conference approaches, party unity appears increasingly fragile, casting uncertainty over the DP’s future direction.
Observers are now closely watching whether the DP can resolve these internal conflicts peacefully or if the unrest will deepen divisions ahead of what is expected to be a decisive leadership contest.
