Africa-Press – Uganda. The Executive Director of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), Dr. Lawrence Sserwambala, has welcomed recent engagements between President Museveni and a group of opposition legislators, describing it as a positive step toward resolving Uganda’s political challenges through dialogue and mutual understanding.
Speaking during NBS Morning Breeze on Tuesday, Sserwambala said Ugandans should appreciate the growing willingness among political actors to seek peaceful and amicable solutions to national problems.
“Ugandans should appreciate that we are seeing people who are interested in an Uganda whose problems are amicably solved,” he said.
Sserwambala noted that while individual initiatives were commendable, sustainable progress would be better achieved if dialogue was anchored at the institutional level.
“I would be happy if this dialogue started at the institutional level,” he added, stressing the importance of structured and inclusive engagement frameworks such as IPOD.
Sserwambala said he believed the President was articulating the broader position of government on post-election reconciliation and national stability.
“I want to believe that from what the President spoke during that meeting at the State House, he is speaking for what this government stands for,” he said.
Although he was not directly involved in the discussions, Sserwambala said information available to him indicated that the talks focused on charting a way forward for the country after a tense election period.
“I’m not privy to the discussion that was held at State House, but from what I’ve heard, it was about how to move on as Uganda post-election,” he said.
Sserwambala further observed that the meeting helped to challenge long-standing perceptions within the political landscape.
“One other positive of the meeting of those leaders with President Museveni is that they moved an inch towards removing the notion that an opposition leader should not interact with the President,” he said.
Sserwambala’s remarks come amid intensified debate within opposition circles following a meeting last week between President Museveni and a group of opposition legislators at State House Entebbe.
The delegation was led by Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi (FDC) and included Okot Bitek (Kioga County, FDC), Moses Kabusu (Kyamuswa County, PFF), Roland Ndyomugyenyi (Rukiga County), Fred Kayondo (Mukono South, DP), Richard Lumu (Mityana South, DP), and former Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebagala Ssengendo, among others.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with NBS Television on Friday, Nsibambi said the discussions centered on national stability, peace, and reconciliation in the aftermath of a heated post-election environment.
“The talks were about easing political tensions and promoting unity for development and stability,” he said.
Nsibambi disclosed that the delegation raised concerns about political prisoners and appealed to President Museveni to consider pardoning hundreds of detainees linked to political activities.
The legislators also called for an independent investigation into the continued detention of Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the Buganda Deputy President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Member of Parliament for Butambala County.
However, Nsibambi’s decision to meet the President without wider consultation sparked criticism from sections of the opposition, with some accusing him of acting unilaterally.
Defending his actions, Nsibambi maintained that he acted independently and in what he described as the national interest.
“No one sent me. I am an elected MP, and I will engage with whoever I believe is necessary for the good of my constituents and the country,” he said.
