Kampala — All of them had promised to hold delegates' conferences before the end of the year. But now it is emerging on the grapevine that FDC, DP and UPC are likely to postpone the meetings at which they were to elect new officials.

They all have one reason - no money. There are fears that the delays will strain relations within parties. FDC is threatened with a split if the conference does not take place to replace Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu, who died in June.

The FDC Buganda caucus hopes to use the delegates' conference to get one of their own elected as they complain that they lack representation in the top hierarchy. So some of them are not taking the rumoured postponement lightly and suspect it is a scheme to block the Baganda from running the party.

Because the previous holder of the post was a Muganda, a section of the Baganda say it's their right to fill it. Uganda's political parties are known for bending party constitutions to allow favoured individuals to be elected.