RUKUNGIRI. Dr Wallen Nuwagaba Tumwiine, the former Rukungiri Municipality FDC flag bearer, says he regrets supporting the opposition, citing rampant infighting and a lack of political direction.
Nuwagaba, who won the FDC 2020 party primaries against then-incumbent Roland Mugume Kagyinda and Ingrid Turinawe to secure the 2021 flag, lost the general election to NRM’s Elias Rutahigwa. Turinawe ran as an independent candidate after conceding the FDC primary.
Ahead of the 2026 elections, Nuwagaba, who had crossed to the People’s Progressive Forum (PFF) after it broke from FDC, failed to secure the party’s flag, which was awarded to Turinawe. Undeterred, he contested as an independent candidate aligned with PFF, but the parliamentary seat was won by NRM’s retired Lieutenant General Henry Tumukunde.
On Monday, Nuwagaba told our reporter that he had never regretted being in opposition until recently, when he realized that the opposition he had supported had become worse than NRM. He said the constant factionalism within opposition parties had disillusioned him about their values and commitment.
“I have been fooled enough for many years and cannot continue the same way. Even after breaking away from FDC to form PFF, nothing has changed because infighting has continued,” he said.
Nuwagaba expressed frustration over PFF party leaders endorsing retired Major General Mugisha Muntu, the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate, despite previously accusing him of being a mole while he was still in FDC.
“I regret the energy, time, effort, and money I spent opposing what later alone became worse by NRM,” he said.
The former FDC flag bearer also proposed that all political parties be abolished in favor of returning to the old movement system, where individual merit would determine leadership. He argued that this would reduce the commercialization of politics.
“Any rightful thinking Ugandan should know that the current party system has failed. Leadership should focus on merit and service, not party loyalty,” he added.
Rukungiri has historically been an opposition stronghold, largely due to being the home base of retired Colonel Dr Kiiza Besigye. However, in the 2026 elections, NRM won all key positions in the district, including the parliamentary seats of Rujumbura and Rubabo counties, Rukungiri Municipality, the District Woman MP, as well as the LC5 chairperson and the municipality mayor.
Nuwagaba’s comments reflect a growing frustration among opposition leaders and supporters in areas that were once considered bastions of anti-NRM politics, highlighting internal divisions that critics say have weakened their electoral performance.
He emphasized that his critique is aimed at improving governance and political accountability in Uganda. “If political parties cannot uphold values and discipline, they only serve to weaken democracy,” Nuwagaba said.
