BIG INTERVIEW: Mao Inherited a Divided DP, But Failed to Heal Its Wounds – Njoki

What the report says

Nile Post reports that long-serving Democratic Party member Hasubi Deo Njoki has reflected on the party’s internal rifts, saying Norbert Mao inherited a divided organization but did not fully resolve its long-running disputes. In the interview, Njoki traces some of the tensions back to the 2010 Mbale Delegates Conference, which he describes as a contested leadership process shaped by competing factions within the party’s youth wing and broader leadership structures.

According to Njoki, the disagreements were not simply about individuals, but also about political orientation, internal control and the future direction of the DP. He says the party’s younger leaders were split between centre-left and centre-right tendencies, with the rivalry affecting later leadership contests and fueling frustration among members who felt their preferred path had been blocked. He also discusses the role of the controversial government memorandum of understanding associated with Mao, presenting it as part of the wider debate over whether the party had drifted from its traditional identity.

Njoki tells Nile Post that the DP’s problems have become institutional rather than personal, and that successive efforts to bridge divisions have not satisfied all sides. He argues that Mao has tried to work with different camps, but that the party still has to rebuild trust and restore its political relevance. The comments come as the DP marks its long history and faces broader questions about opposition unity, reconciliation and its place in Uganda’s politics.