To win poll, Ugandan opposition must unite

Last week, Ugandan presidential hopefuls under the umbrella of The Democratic Alliance (TDA) floundered in their bid to field a single candidate in the forthcoming elections.

Kizza Besigye is making a fourth stab at the Ugandan presidency. Amama Mbabazi, former ally of Museveni, quit government and is now a vocal critic of the Ugandan president.

Their calls for unity are reminiscent of the Kenyan political scene when the Rainbow Alliance was formed by a conglomerate of parties.

The hurdle was the selection of a candidate to compete the incumbent. Seemingly, this is the same situation Ugandan presidential election hopefuls have found themselves in.

Mbabazi and Besigye seemingly could not reach a consensus because the latter was adamant. Seven out of nine of the entities that make the alliance support Mbabazi as the consensus candidate.

Besigye’s supporters, however, feel the opposition leader has more mass appeal compared to Mbabazi.

There is distrust of Mbabazi because of his role in the Museveni regime. He has been accused of remaining silent during the crackdown on anti-Museveni dissidents.

The best option for Uganda’s opposition is to choose one candidate.