38 NUP, two FDC opposition converts cross to PLU as leaders rally Kasese around development and accountability
By Brian Mugenyi
mugenyijj@gmail.com
Kampala: Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) General Secretary Fadil Twalla has called on 40 opposition converts from Kasese who have joined the movement to make the fight against corruption part of their new political engagement.
The group, comprising 38 members formerly associated with the National Unity Platform (NUP) and two from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), surrendered their party cards during a ceremony in Kampala and were formally received into PLU.
Addressing the new members, Twalla said the fight against corruption should not be left to political leaders alone, but should involve citizens across the country.
“We want a Uganda free from corruption. This fight is for all of us, not just Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba,” Twalla said.
The development comes as PLU continues to expand its grassroots structures and promote anti-corruption activities alongside its wider mobilisation programmes.
FROM OPPOSITION TO PLU
The Kasese group’s decision marks a change in political affiliation for the individuals involved and adds new members to PLU’s organisational network.
According to Twalla, the converts were received by the PLU Secretariat and expressed support for the organisation’s programme and for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
“The converts, largely from NUP and FDC, surrendered their party cards to the PLU boss, who in turn officially welcomed them to PLU by dressing them in MK T-shirts,” Twalla said.
He said the group pledged loyalty to what he described as Uganda’s next political leadership under Gen. Kainerugaba and the government led by President Yoweri Museveni.
Twalla also said the converts cited Kainerugaba’s stated fight against corruption among the reasons for joining PLU.
MWESIGYE: EMBRACE DEVELOPMENT
Also speaking during the engagement was Hon. Frank Mwesigye, a PLU Patriotic Officer, who welcomed the Kasese converts and urged them to use their community experience to promote development and responsible citizenship.
“We welcome our colleagues from Kasese. This is an opportunity to strengthen our grassroots structures and encourage our people to embrace development, unity and responsible citizenship,” Mwesigye said.
He urged the new members to engage communities on issues affecting their livelihoods, service delivery and local development.
AMBASSADOR MUHINDO RALLIES KASESE
Ambassador Johnny Muhindo, a PLU Ambassador from Kasese and a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also called on residents of Kasese to support Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Ambassador Muhindo described Kasese as an area that had experienced stability and development and expressed his view that support for Kainerugaba’s political ambitions was growing in the district.
His assessment of the level of support for Kainerugaba was a political claim and was not independently established for this report.
Twalla said the Kasese converts were led to the PLU Secretariat by PLU figures including Ambassador Muhindo, Engineer Wani and other Patriotic Officers.
THE ANTI-CORRUPTION MESSAGE
For Twalla, however, the immediate message to the new members went beyond political realignment.
He challenged them to make accountability and the protection of public resources part of their engagement with communities.
PLU presents anti-corruption, patriotism, national unity, responsible citizenship and socio-economic transformation among its areas of focus.
The organisation’s anti-corruption message has increasingly featured in its grassroots mobilisation activities, with its leaders urging citizens to participate in accountability and efforts to protect public resources.
For the Kasese converts, the challenge will now be to translate their previous political experience into PLU’s organisational structures while engaging communities on development and accountability.
KASESE’S CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Kasese is an important district in western Uganda, with communities engaged in agriculture, tourism, trade and other economic activities.
The movement of opposition converts into PLU adds another development to the district’s political landscape as the organisation continues to build its structures.
For Twalla, the Kasese event demonstrated that political mobilisation could be accompanied by a wider conversation about corruption, development and public responsibility.
“We want our people to embrace development, unity and responsible citizenship,” he said.
For the 40 former opposition members, the handover of their party cards marked a new political beginning.
For PLU, their arrival represents an expansion of its grassroots network in Kasese.
And for Twalla, the message was clear: the fight against corruption should involve citizens across political and organisational boundaries.