Moses Mulondo and Angella Asiimire
4 August 2008
Kampala — THE opposition party FDC has confirmed the resignation of Beti Olive Kamya as special envoy to the party president.
Addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi yesterday, the FDC chief whip, Kassiano Wadri, acknowledged receipt of Kamya's resignation letter.
"She copied me her resignation letter. It is a letter of two sentences in which she does not state the reason for her resignation. But of course it is not resignation from FDC but from her portfolio in the party," Wadri said.
When contacted by The New Vision, Kamya confirmed that she had resigned but declined to give the reasons.
"You will know the reasons after I have discussed the matter with the party president Dr. Kizza Besigye," she said.
Party insiders believe it has to do with the post of the party chairperson, which fell vacant in June after Dr. Suleiman Kiggundu died of cancer.
Kamya had been soliciting for the post. But instead, John Butime, the vice-chairperson for western, was appointed as acting chairman until the delegates' conference later this year.
In an interview with Vision Voice Radio on Thursday, the day she submitted her resignation letter, Kamya said there was discontent among FDC Baganda supporters over the regional distribution of key posts in the party.
"When we were forming FDC, we agreed that the top positions would be distributed according to regions to create balance."
A month ago, a steering committee had been selected to make preparations for elections for the position during the party's national council meeting, which took place two weeks ago.
But the elections were postponed and Butime was asked to take charge in the meantime.
Sources said the Buganda caucus opposed the position of the steering committee to postpone the elections and went ahead to nominate Kamya as chairperson and city lawyer Yusuf Nsibambi as vice-chairperson.
A senior party official said the Buganda caucus had demanded that because the former chairperson was a Muganda, his replacement must also be from Buganda.
At the press briefing yesterday, Kassiano noted that if Kamya's resignation was related to the post of party chairpersonship, then she was being unrealistic.
"FDC is a democratic party. The FDC constitution is very clear that electing people into executive positions is a preserve of the party's national delegates conference.
"If the national council had held those elections it would have been illegal," he said.
Kampala Woman MP Nabilah Sempala interjected saying: "It is not yet time to draw conclusions that the Buganda region is marginalised in FDC.
"The position of party chairperson is wanted by both Baganda and the Muslims because the late Kiggundu represented both groups. Those interested should wait for the delegates' conference to sell their interests to the party delegates."
Kamya is not the first senior FDC stalwart to resign.
Last year, Maracha county MP Alex Onzima resigned from his post as FDC vice-chairman for northern region arguing that he was not being properly facilitated.
At the same briefing yesterday, Nampala announced that the FDC grassroots elections for Kampala would be held on Saturday.
She said from today on, Besigye will hold political rallies in all the divisions of Kampala to prepare his supporters for the elections.
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