{UAH} DP does not rig as UPC is in a convalescent home

As the year closes, Democratic Party President General Norbert Mao, almost three years in officce, is barely in charge. DP experienced an internal tumult when the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), ordinarily considered to be the youthwing of the party, rebelled against Mr Mao and insisted on electing a new leadership.

Mr Mao, as a result, said he had suspended Mr Paul Kakande, the then deputy publicity secretary, for backing the UYD. Mr Kakande, a founding member and long-time leader of UYD, was one of Mr Mao's backers going into the controversial 2010 Mbale delegates conference in which Mr Mao was elected.

Mr Mao accused some DP members who had supported his election, among them Mr Kakande and the deputy secretary general Vincent Mayanja, of trying to control his actions. The rift has not been healed up to now, with Mr Kakande adopting a defiant tone when we asked him about the progress of the reconciliation efforts the party's National Council talked of instituting.

"Those who were stopping UYD from holding its elections must now have realised that they were doing something wrong," Mr Kakande said. UYD maintains that it is an independent organ which is only affiliated to DP.

UPC, CP troubles

Elsewhere, at Uganda House, the seat of the Uganda Peoples Congress, the year 2013 passed as the proverbial calm before the storm. The forces that attempted to throw Mr Olara Otunnu out of the party leadership in the last couple of years, seemed to have been beaten back a bit during the year, or had probably retreated in preparation for a fierce fight leading to 2016.

A group of Mr Otunnu's former executive, led by former party chairman Edward Rurangaranga, turned against Mr Otunnu and joined forces with Lira Municipality MP Jimmy Akena, accusing Mr Otunnu of failing to grow the party. They have attempted to call a delegates conference to vote out Mr Otunnu without success to-date, but they look far from defeated and have vowed to fight on.

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*A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of him/herself.

 

 We must dare invent the future!
The only way of limiting the usurpation of power by
 individuals, the military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge  - Capt. Thomas. Sankara {RIP} '1949-1987

 *"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent

revolution inevitable"**…  *J.F Kennedy