Africa-Press – Uganda. The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party held its nationwide primary elections on Saturday to select flag bearers for the 2026 general elections, with Sironko District—long considered a bastion of FDC support—witnessing dramatic shifts in its political landscape.
In one of the day’s most symbolic outcomes, Rev. Jackson Magombe emerged as the party’s official candidate for Budadiri West, a constituency historically shaped by the towering influence of outgoing FDC Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi. Magombe, widely viewed as Nandala’s political heir, secured an overwhelming 1,509 votes.
His four challengers—Sharif Makwasi, Dr. Richard Kabala, Geoffrey Wanyoto, and Ronald Mafabi—abruptly withdrew from the race on voting day and received no votes.
“This outcome is a clear endorsement of my candidature and a show of unity within the party,” Magombe said after being declared winner.
“I call on all party members to come together for the good of the FDC. My focus now is to consolidate FDC’s grassroots support to ensure victory in the national elections.”
But the show of unity may be short-lived. Two of the withdrawn contenders, Makwasi and Kabala, expressed dissatisfaction with the process, vowing to either contest as independents or seek alternative political platforms.
They cited what they called an “unlevelled playing field” and unfair treatment by local party leadership.
Elsewhere in the district, incumbent Isiah Sasaga was confirmed unopposed as the FDC flag bearer for Budadiri East, cementing his continued grip on the constituency.
In the Woman MP race, youthful candidate Fiona Nafuna Banga stunned her rival Robina Wamanga with a landslide victory, polling 522 votes to Wamanga’s 94.
Nafuna’s emphatic win was seen as a signal of shifting generational preferences within the party’s support base.
Another notable upset came in the race for Sironko District Chairperson, where longtime political heavyweight David Livingstone Giruli was edged out by Francis Kyagulo Maniaku.
Maniaku won with 366 votes to Giruli’s 352, a razor-thin margin that left the incumbent’s supporters visibly rattled. Giruli has since contested the results.
The Sironko primaries marked a clear transition in local FDC politics, with new faces taking center stage and longtime power brokers either exiting or being challenged.
While Nandala Mafabi remains influential in national party structures, the emergence of Magombe and others signals the party’s gradual leadership renewal ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2026 general election.
With its new flag bearers in place, the FDC now turns its focus to party cohesion, managing internal fallout, and consolidating its voter base in a district that has long been central to its political fortunes.
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