By Our Reporter
The Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) has officially gazetted an application to register the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) as a political party, in accordance with the Political Parties and Organizations Act.
The PFF emerges from a factional split within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), following internal disputes that culminated in accusations against party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi. The two were accused by a breakaway group of receiving financial support from President Yoweri Museveni during the 2021 general elections—allegations they have consistently denied.
The fallout created two rival factions within the FDC: one headquartered at Katonga Road, Kampala, and aligned with former party leader Dr. Kizza Besigye; and another based at the party’s official offices in Najjanankumbi. It is the Katonga faction, led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, that is now seeking formal recognition of the PFF as a separate political entity.
Electoral Commission Invites Public Objections
In a notice published in The Uganda Gazette and signed by EC Chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, the Commission invited the public to submit any objections to the proposed registration of the new party within 14 days of the notice’s publication.
“Any person who has grounds to oppose this application is advised to submit their objections to the Electoral Commission within 14 days from the date of this Gazette notice,” the statement reads in part.
Lukwago, serving as the interim president of the PFF, previously accused the EC of deliberately delaying the registration process, a move he said was hindering the group’s preparations for the 2026 general elections. However, he recently assured supporters that all necessary documentation had been submitted and that they were now awaiting the Commission’s final decision.
According to the application, the PFF will adopt a mobile handset as its official symbol, with white and royal blue as party colours. The party’s slogan is “Freedom for all, and all for freedom.”
Dispute Over Party Colours
The FDC has objected to the PFF’s use of blue in its branding, citing potential confusion among supporters since blue is also central to the FDC’s visual identity. Despite this, the EC’s gazetting of the PFF marks a significant step toward formal recognition—unless formal objections are upheld during the 14-day window.
If successfully registered, the PFF would become the third political party to split from the FDC, following the Uganda Federal Alliance led by Beti Kamya and the Alliance for National Transformation, founded by former FDC president Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu.
Kamya previously served as a senior envoy in the FDC leadership, while Muntu led the party from 2012 to 2017 before forming his own platform.
