As presidential candidates embark on campaigns ahead of the 2026 General Election, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), a party associated with four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye, says it is still weighing options on which candidate to support.
Speaking during the launch of PFF’s National Campaign Agenda in Kampala yesterday, the party’s National Convention Speaker, Ms Proscovia Salaamu Musumba, said discussions with the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) are ongoing, with the hope of rallying behind a single Opposition candidate. ‘We have not presented a presidential candidate because we are short of them. No. We didn’t want to be an obstacle to finding a unifying candidate that we would be supporting in this election. Because this election is a do-or-die for the country,’ Ms Musumba said.
She noted that PFF already has a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ANT, signed in July, committing both parties to support a joint candidate. ‘We informed the country that we do have that memorandum of understanding. But we are also in deep discussions with the National Unity Platform. The discussions may not have gone as expected, but we continue to pursue them,’ she added. ANT’s National Coordinator Alice Alaso said they were still waiting for PFF’s official position on supporting their candidate, Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, who is duly nominated by the Electoral Commission. ‘The engagement is between ANT and PFF. We agreed, in the MoU, to back a joint candidate. So, while PFF did not field a candidate, we have not yet heard their express position about Gen Muntu. We hope they will give us clarity soon,’ Ms Alaso said.
She added that ANT would respect whatever decision PFF makes: ‘Even if they decide to take a different approach, we are comfortable. We prefer to deal with partners who are firm in their choices,’ Ms Alaso The PFF chairperson, Mr Erias Lukwago, acknowledged that the delay in settling on a joint candidate was ‘unfortunate,’ but said the complexity of merging different political platforms had slowed the process. ‘We had hoped that by now we would have a single candidate, but there are many factors beyond our control. Even if we pronounce ourselves on a joint candidate, there remains the challenge of harmonising campaign platforms,’ he said. ‘Each entity has its own symbols, slogans and constituencies. These are issues that need careful management,’ he added. Mr Lukwago assured Ugandans that once consultations are complete, the party will inform the country of its position, whether or not it agrees to a joint front.
Efforts to get a comment from NUP were unsuccessful as party Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya could not be reached by press time. Within PFF, some members have asked the leadership to expedite the process, saying supporters are already demanding clarity. Ms Betty Aol Ocan, the party’s deputy chairperson for northern Uganda, said grassroots members are growing anxious. ‘People ask us which presidential candidate to support, but we have no answers. I told them to wait for this meeting, but the matter is still hanging,’ Ms Ocan said. During the Kampala launch, Ms Musumba also outlined PFF’s broader campaign agenda, stressing that the election is part of a wider struggle for freedom and fair resource distribution.
‘Our biggest problem is the use of our resources. Each of the regions is well endowed, and we want to ensure that local communities benefit from their wealth,’ she said. She pointed to Karamoja as an example, where minerals such as gold and marble are extracted but processed under brand names like Simba Cement or Tororo Cement. ‘There is no Karamoja Cement, yet those resources come from Karamoja. In our government, that region will have an opportunity to benefit directly from its endowments,’ Ms Musumba said.
BACKGROUND
Past attempts at fronting a joint Opposition candidate have repeatedly collapsed. In 2011, the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) disintegrated before the elections, leaving each party to field its own candidate. Five years later, in 2016, the Democratic Alliance (TDA) failed to agree on a single flagbearer, despite months of negotiations. In 2021, efforts to unite Dr Kizza Besigye and Mr Robert Kyagulanyi also stalled, forcing both leaders to pursue separate campaigns.