Africa-Press – Uganda. More than a month since the Democratic Party (DP) National Council convened in Soroti and resolved to initiate the termination of its cooperation agreement with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), the latter says it is yet to receive any formal communication on the matter.
The agreement, signed in July 2022, was intended to foster collaboration between the two parties on key governance issues, including electoral reforms, national dialogue, and a peaceful political transition.
However, some DP leaders now accuse the NRM of reneging on its obligations under the deal.
DP National Vice Chairperson Mukasa Mbidde said the ruling party has consistently failed to honour the terms of the agreement, including holding quarterly meetings with the president as stipulated.
“We were meant to have four meetings a year with the president. We were supposed to move electoral reforms before the elections. We were meant to talk about a peaceful transition. All these have not happened, so clearly, the agreement was breached,” Mbidde said.
Following the Soroti meeting, DP council members reportedly resolved to issue a formal notice to the NRM, asking it to show cause why the agreement should not be terminated.
However, sources within both parties confirm that the notice has not yet been served.
In the meantime, Mbidde has embarked on a series of public rallies aimed at mobilizing popular support for ending the agreement.
He maintains that the party has now initiated formal procedures for withdrawal.
“We are now embarking on termination procedures,” he told Nile Post.
The NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong told Nile Post that his party has not received any official correspondence from DP regarding the matter.
He, however, defended the party’s record, noting that the implementation of the agreement was a shared responsibility.
“Where we have gone wrong, we have gone wrong together with them. Likewise, where we have done well, we have done well together because they are part and parcel of this government,” Todwong said.
Todwong also expressed the NRM’s openness to dialogue, saying the party is willing to engage DP on any concerns raised.
“Our doors are open, and the National Chairman of the NRM is always ready for dialogue,” he added.
Under the 2022 agreement, DP President Norbert Mao was appointed Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, while the party’s Secretary General, Gerald Siranda, secured a seat in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
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