Political party leaders have called for dialogue, accountability and respect for human rights following Uganda’s 2026 elections, exposing divisions over governance as stakeholders explore power-sharing as a path to national reconciliation.
Political party leaders have called for dialogue, accountability and respect for human rights as Uganda seeks to address political tensions following the 2026 General Elections, with opposition figures accusing the government of abuses of power and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) urging cooperation.
The leaders are meeting in Jinja City for a two-day engagement organised by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) Uganda in partnership with the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) and the National Consultative Forum (NCF).
The October 15–16 meeting brings together representatives of political parties, particularly those represented in Parliament and local government, alongside other stakeholders in Uganda’s democratic processes.
The discussions are focusing on national cohesion, inclusive governance and ways of managing political differences, including the potential for consociational democracy to help bridge divisions following the elections.
National Consultative Forum chairperson Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi said the meeting came at a critical time when Uganda needed to strengthen its democratic processes and build consensus among political actors.
“The retreat therefore comes at an important time when our country continues to strengthen its democratic processes,” Kiwanda said.
NIMD Uganda Country Director Primus Bahiigi said the engagement was particularly important amid concerns about the safety and political future of some political actors, including those who had left the country.
He said such circumstances raised questions about public trust, political inclusion and whether citizens could participate freely in national affairs regardless of their political beliefs.
“We are also confronted by situations where some political actors feel compelled to leave the country because of fears concerning their security or political future. Whether one agrees or disagrees with a particular political position, such realities raise important questions about trust, inclusion and the ability of all citizens to participate freely in national life,” Bahiigi said.
The participants are also examining consociational democracy, a governance model that emphasises power-sharing, proportional representation and consensus-building among different political groups, particularly in societies characterised by deep political or social divisions.
The model is being discussed as a possible approach to broadening political participation and ensuring that competing interests are accommodated in decision-making.
The lead facilitator, Professor Latigo Otunnu, said dialogue and cooperation were essential to addressing concerns raised by political parties, religious institutions and civil society organisations.
He said different stakeholders had consistently called for reconciliation, accountability and transparency, arguing that these objectives required collective engagement.
“Political parties have been asking for cooperation, for dialogue, for healing. Religious institutions have been asking for the same. Civil society has been asking for accountability, cooperation and transparency. All those can only be realised when we cooperate,” Latigo said.
Representing President Yoweri Museveni, who also chairs the ruling NRM, the party’s Eastern Uganda vice chairperson, Calvin Echodu, said the party was committed to working with other political organisations to promote national development.
Echodu said Museveni believed in politics driven by shared national interests rather than divisions based on tribe, religion or political affiliation.
He identified peace, human rights, democracy and the rule of law as common interests that should unite Ugandans across the political divide.
“As NRM, we are committed to coexisting and working with other political parties for the development and prosperity of our country. The chairman of NRM, President Museveni, believes in the politics of interest rather than the politics of tribe, religion and parties. Our shared interests are peace, human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” Echodu said.
However, opposition leaders used the meeting to highlight concerns about alleged human rights abuses, prolonged detention of suspects, concentration of power and the state of democratic governance.
Justice Forum (JEEMA) president Asuman Basalirwa said the country needed to address allegations of arbitrary arrests, detention in ungazetted facilities and prolonged remand, as well as concerns about political prisoners and Ugandans fleeing into exile.
Basalirwa said these issues should be central to discussions about national unity and reconciliation.
“People are being arrested and taken to ungazetted detention facilities. People are spending years on remand. Arrests are not explained, detentions are not explained. We are seeing increasing numbers of political prisoners, many Ugandans fleeing to exile. These are things that should concern us and worry us as Ugandans,” Basalirwa said.
People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) deputy president for Buganda, Lulume Bayiga, also called for the country to address alleged human rights abuses, concentration of power and the increasing militarisation of public affairs.
“There are certain things that need to be considered as we are bringing Uganda together. First is human rights abuses, monopoly of power and militarisation of the country,” Bayiga said.
Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) secretary general Fred Ebil said the responsibility for advancing national reconciliation largely rested with the government because it controlled executive power.
Ebil said the NRM administration needed to demonstrate its commitment to dialogue through practical steps towards unity and reconciliation.
“As UPC, we believe in dialogue. Now the ball is in the court of NRM. They have a lot of work to do to bring about unity and reconciliation because they are the ones in government,” Ebil said.
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) deputy president for Western Uganda Robert Centenary also accused public officials of abusing their authority.
Centenary raised concerns about what he described as the emergence of groups operating above the law and questioned the involvement of serving military officers in partisan politics.
“The custodians of power in this country are misusing it. The gross human rights [violations], we are having an upcoming group that is above the law. In my whole entire life, I have never seen a serving military officer launch a political party,” Centenary said.
The NRM representatives maintained that cooperation among political parties was necessary to safeguard peace, democracy and national development.
The meeting is expected to examine the opportunities and limitations of consociational democracy within Uganda’s political context, including whether power-sharing arrangements and consensus-based decision-making could help address political divisions.
Participants are also expected to develop proposals for strengthening democratic institutions, restoring public trust and creating a political environment in which citizens can participate freely regardless of their political affiliation.
The key test will be whether the dialogue produces practical commitments on reconciliation, accountability and respect for human rights, particularly as opposition leaders insist that calls for unity must be matched by action.