The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has welcomed government-led negotiations aimed at securing the release of senior opposition figures, including retired Colonel Dr Kizza Besigye and former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
Robert Centenary, a senior FDC official and former MP, told Bbeg Media at Parliament that the negotiations were long overdue, citing concerns about the health of the two opposition leaders.
“Look at the health conditions of these comrades. We welcome these negotiations, and they should be freed,” Centenary said.
He argued that the government should take responsibility for the condition of the opposition leaders, claiming that restrictions on their access to lawyers of their choice, including Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, had affected their ability to defend themselves.
Centenary said the reported frail health of Besigye and Lukwago was worrying and called for their release so that they could seek medical attention from providers of their choice.
He said the FDC had also raised concerns about the continued detention of political opponents during a recent meeting of the National Consultative Forum, convened by former Tourism state minister Godfrey Kiwanda.
According to Centenary, the party called for the release of all political prisoners and their inclusion in negotiations aimed at reaching a political consensus on Uganda’s future.
He said the discussions should go beyond arrangements involving the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and instead address the political grievances that have divided the country.
“We need to look at what went wrong and how we can put it right, rather than having the NRM as the alpha and omega in the decision-making of this country,” Centenary said.
He argued that all political parties should have a stake in shaping the country’s political direction instead of leaving major decisions to the ruling party.
Centenary said the FDC was willing to participate in a structured dialogue but insisted that the process must be based on honesty, meaningful government commitment and broad public participation.
He said the organisers should first identify the relevant stakeholders and conduct wider consultations to ensure that the negotiations address the concerns of different groups.
Centenary added that the FDC would need to discuss and approve the proposed approach to what he described as a consensual form of democracy before committing itself fully to the process.
The minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao confirmed on October 21 that President Museveni had directed Gen Salim Saleh, the coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) to engage people with a stake in the cases involving Besigye and Lukwago.
Mao said the discussions were intended to promote reconciliation but would run alongside court proceedings and medical treatment, rather than replace the judicial process.
Beyond the negotiations, Centenary questioned whether the Electoral Commission could guarantee a fair process for candidates who had challenged election results in court.
He expressed doubts about the commission’s performance during the previous elections, arguing that its handling of electoral matters raised concerns about its ability to oversee a credible process for candidates who had lost their seats and filed election petitions.
