Opposition stalwart and four time presidential candidate, Dr.Kizza Besigye has shed light on his decision not to support Patrick Oboi Amuriat as the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate in the 2021 elections.
Besigye cited concerns over undisclosed campaign funding from unknown sources, which he referred to as 'dirty money.'
During the 2021 general elections, the FDC faced internal conflicts related to allegations of undisclosed campaign financing. Party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi are accused of receiving significant sums of money from President Museveni, an allegation they denied.
Besigye explained that the 'dirty money' originated from the same source they were fighting against in the elections, which raised serious concerns.
"The absence of the campaign management team coupled with the money coming from another candidate (president Museveni) assured me that this was simply a phony election. It was not going to be a campaign worth my risks and effort and I chose to stay away from it," he said.
He stated that attempts were made to address this issue before the elections, but they failed.
"Something that confirmed to me that there was something seriously wrong was that the presidential candidate went for the national elections without a campaign management team," he said.
In 2018, Besigye met with senior party leaders and informed them that he would not be a candidate in the 2021 general elections, advising them to find a suitable alternative. However, he was surprised to see that no efforts were made to follow his advice, and Amuriat was hastily chosen at the last minute.
Once Amuriat became the candidate, he established a campaign bureau to be headed by Ambassador Wsswa Birigwa. However, Amuriat later disbanded the Campaign Bureau and had no plans to reinstate it.
Following Besigye's statement, the committee summoned FDC Secretary General Nandala Mafabi. Dr. Frank Nabwiso, the committee chairman, questioned Mafabi about the allegations of receiving 'dirty money.' Mafabi clarified that the party was facing a financial crisis before the 2021 General Elections, requiring approximately Shs 2.7 billion.
The National Executive Committee authorized him to borrow funds to sustain party activities during that period.
Mafabi further revealed that they had approached Besigye to help raise funds, but he requested a budget that they provided, yet he never responded.
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Mafabi emphasised that his efforts to mobilize resources were not for personal gain but for the benefit of the party. He presented evidence of a bank statement indicating the withdrawal of Shs 500 million from his personal account.
Regarding the disbandment of the campaign bureau, Mafabi stated that the bureau's budget was inflated to an excessive amount of Shs 130 billion, while the party struggled to finance basic activities.
The disbandment was directed by the presidential candidate (Amuriat), and the party's administrative staff took over the assigned activities.
Amuriat recently revealed that Besigye asked him to support the National Unity Platform's Robert Kyagulanyi during the 2021 general election. Amuriat expressed disappointment in Besigye, as he had hoped for his support but went into the campaign without backing from the FDC Katonga faction.
Although FDC continues to value Besigye's advice, Amuriat stated that there is no guarantee they will implement everything he suggests.
The party is currently divided into two factions due to disagreements arising from the undisclosed source of funding offered to Amuriat and the party's secretary general.
On September 19, the Katonga faction ousted Amuriat and Mafabi, replacing them with their deputies Erias Lukwago and Harold Kaija. However, both Nandala and Amuriat were nominated on September 21 by the Najjanankumbi faction in an attempt to retain their positions for another term.
