Kampala, Uganda – The cracks within the Democratic Party (DP) have burst wide open just hours before the highly anticipated DP Delegates Conference as Mukono South MP Fred Kayondo delivered a searing rebuke to DP President Norbert Mao, accusing him of intimidation tactics and alleging that Mao has long since abandoned the opposition cause.
MP Kayondo denounced Mao’s claims that DP delegates were being manipulated and threatened ahead of the internal party meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
“You cannot cry foul when you’re the one holding the whip,” Kayondo stated.
“Mao is not being fought by anyone in NRM. He is only fighting himself because he has already joined the team.”
This latest verbal clash has thrown the spotlight back on the simmering power struggle within Uganda’s oldest political party. Mao, who once symbolized defiant resistance against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), has in recent years faced harsh scrutiny for cozying up to the regime, including accepting a Ministerial appointment as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in 2022.
His critics and now even his party’s elected MPs view his tenure as a betrayal of the DP’s founding principles.
DP Delegates’ Conference, expected to take place in Kampala tomorrow, has been billed as a make-or-break moment for the future of the party. Sources say key items on the agenda include leadership restructuring, accountability on party direction, and potential realignment of DP with or against the NRM.
Mao had earlier accused unnamed individuals within DP of subversive mobilization and intimidation of grassroots delegates, suggesting a plot to undermine him. Kayondo, however, is having none of it.
“Delegates are tired of being bullied, and they see through the lies,” Kayondo said in the video.
“You cannot wear an NRM jacket on Monday and claim you’re DP President on Tuesday.”
The public fallout between Mao and Kayondo has laid bare what insiders describe as the slow collapse of party unity. The Democratic Party, founded in 1954 and credited with shaping Uganda’s early multiparty politics, now finds itself bleeding profusely of support, not from external attacks, but from internal disillusionment.
Young DP members accuse the leadership of double-tongued politics, while veterans mourn the loss of ideological clarity. Some have called for a new beginning without Mao, while others believe it’s too late to salvage the party’s relevance.
Fred Kayondo, known for his principled and fiery rhetoric, stood firm in his criticism.
“The truth is uncomfortable, but someone has to say it. You cannot be in bed with the regime and pretend to lead the resistance. People are awake now.”
With the 2026 general elections on the horizon, the outcome of this conference and the direction of the Democratic Party will have major implications, not just for the DP’s survival but for the broader opposition alliance in Uganda.
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