By Our Reporter
Former Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munyagwa is set to unveil a newly rebranded political party, The Common Man’s Party, formerly known as the Uganda Economic Party (UEP).
The CMP, according to Munyagwa, will front candidates across all elective positions in Uganda and will be rooted in the aspirations of ordinary citizens.
“We shall not put all our eggs in one basket,” Munyagwa emphasized in a statement. “The time has come for more platforms that can challenge President Museveni’s leadership from the grassroots up. The Common Man’s Party is the beginning of that new wave.”
A New Party in an Already Crowded Opposition Field
Munyagwa’s move comes amid a noticeable surge in the creation of opposition political parties in Uganda, including the recently launched Democratic Front and FDC Katonga faction’s People’s Front For Freedom (PFF).
This phenomenon has sparked widespread debate on the authenticity and strategic value of these emerging parties.
According to political watchers, many of these parties appear right before election seasons, often lacking ideological clarity or lasting grassroots structures. Some insiders and opposition figures allege that several of these formations are either funded by or working in tandem with President Yoweri Museveni’s government, as part of a wider strategy to divide and weaken some formidable opposition groups—like the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine).
Politics As Business?
There is growing concern that opposition politics in Uganda is becoming increasingly transactional. The term “political entrepreneurship” has gained traction, with claims that some party founders hope to “sell” their parties to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) for financial gain or political appointments.
“Opposition politics in Uganda has become a lucrative business for some,” said a source familiar with internal opposition dynamics. “You form a party, make noise, and either get bought off or used to dilute serious contenders like NUP.”
While Munyagwa denies any such motive, critics remain skeptical, especially given the short-lived nature of many new parties formed in recent years.
Meanwhile, what remains to be seen is whether ‘The Common Man’s Party’ will rise to become a genuine force of change—or follow the path of many others before it: briefly visible, politically marginal, and ultimately absorbed by the system it claims to challenge.