By Hon. Fatimah Quraish Nansubuga
Aspirant, Kawempe South Constituency,
On the 20th of June, I had the privilege to attend my very first National Executive Committee meeting in life, it was that of the Democratic Front (DF) at the party headquarters in Namirembe. The theme of the sitting was “DF Strategy for the 2026 General Elections.”
From the moment I stepped into that meeting, I knew I had made the right decision to join DF. What I witnessed was a living testimony that DF is not just a party, but a school of political thought and strategy.
I had for long desired to be politically mentored by experienced senior politicians, people who could guide me into becoming a thoughtful leader with clarity of purpose. DF has given me that opportunity. Unlike the party I left behind, where direction was vague and structures hardly functional, DF has a firm backbone.
It is a party whose Central Executive Committee, National Executive Committee, regional and district chairpersons, regional vice presidents, women’s league, and youth council are not mere names on paper but breathing, working structures.
In DF, democracy is not a slogan. It is practiced. It is the NEC that sits, debates, and decides for the party, not a president and his inner clique imposing decisions on everyone else.
The most striking thing I observed that day was the national coverage of the party. It had delegates from all regions of Uganda.Their presence was proof that DF is not a sectional party tied to one area, but a national force slowly building a force ready to govern.
I listened carefully as men and women from every corner of Uganda debated with intelligence and eloquence. These were not ordinary delegates. They were national figures in the making, leaders whose contributions carried both depth and vision.
The organization of the meeting itself spoke volumes about the kind of party DF is building. Each participant was handed a copy of the party constitution, a document outlining our stand on transition and reforms, and above all, the party ideology. For the first time in my political life, I felt grounded. In my former party, I had never even seen the constitution. We moved blindly, shouting slogans without a transition plan, without ideological grounding, and without a clear path forward. At DF, there is structure, there is order, there is direction, people know where they are going and know how to get there.
The session was further enriched by a thought-provoking panel discussion. Sulaiman Kakaire, the party lawyer and political historian, laid bare the uncomfortable truth that multiparty democracy has never really functioned in Uganda. He explained how our electoral laws were designed for the one-party Movement system and were never reformed to fit the multiparty dispensation, leaving us trapped in a system designed to fail opposition efforts. His exposition gave me new insight into why we keep running in circles yet no party discusses it.
Salim Agwe, our youth leader, spoke passionately about the role of young people in national transformation. He made me realize that youth leadership is not about donning overalls and shouting on the streets but about using our brains, cultivating capable leaders, and shaping the destiny of our country. His words were a breath of fresh air. I confess my shock that DF has a breathing, vibrant youth wing, the best of its kind in Uganda.
Henry Lubowa, the Party Vice President for Buganda, then took the floor with a sober discussion on opposition failures and successes since 1986. He showed us what must be done and why, instead of falling into the endless cycle of empty chants of “agende.” His strategic insights opened my eyes to the value of sober planning over noise.
Then came Kevin Anena Okumu, our Vice President for the Northern region, whose brilliance moved me deeply, i thought such women of value were nomore. She emphasized the urgent need to build strong structures at the village, parish, sub-county, and district levels to spread the message of change and create continuity. In her, I saw the brain and determination of a committed leader. For a moment, as a ladyv I regretted that I had joined DF late, for I had missed the chance to work alongside such a brilliant mind earlier.
Pascal Amuriat, the Teso region chairman, drew our attention to the commercialization of politics and DF’s fight for transition rather than succession. His words stripped away the blindfold that many of us in opposition politics have unknowingly worn for years.
When Micheal Mabikke, our General Secretary, laid out DF’s minimum agenda for 2026 and the proposed constitutional reforms, I was left with two lasting lessons. First, that a party needs brains to succeed, and second, that real change is not a one-day affair. It requires deliberate building, planning, and preparation over years, not mere entertainment, participation in elections for excitement’s sake.
