Agency
Drama unfolded in Rukungiri District on Friday afternoon when Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Nandala Mafabi received a hostile reception from residents, who accused him of suffocating the party’s progress and playing a role in the arrest of Colonel Dr Kizza Besigye.
Besigye was arrested on November 16, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, alongside his aide Obeid Lutale.
The two are currently remanded at Luzira Prison on charges of treachery and unlawful possession of firearms.
As Mafabi kicked off his campaigns in the Kigezi region, starting in Rukungiri District, business and political activity remained largely unchanged, with very few of his campaign posters visible on streets and roads.
When he arrived in Rukungiri Town at around 3:00 p.m., accompanied by party chairman Ssebitti and Western Region vice chairperson Robert Centenary, many residents appeared indifferent.
Where top FDC leaders have previously been welcomed with large crowds at the Rukungiri Municipal Stadium or the main roundabout, this time Mafabi and his entourage drove through silently, without stepping out to wave.
Unlike the usual enthusiastic reception for FDC leaders in Rukungiri, Mafabi was met by a sparse and unmotivated gathering.
