DP Rivals Mao and Sebamala Share Public Handshake as Oldest Party Shows Signs of Internal Calm

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that Democratic Party president Norbert Mao and Bukoto Central MP Richard Sebamala were seen publicly greeting each other with handshakes and embraces at a recent DP event, in what appeared to be a deliberate show of calm inside Uganda’s oldest political party. The video, said to have been shared from Sebamala’s own channels, showed the two men walking together at a party gathering marked by DP colours and flags.

The gesture is presented in the article as significant because Mao and Sebamala have had visible differences over party strategy, including Sebamala’s criticism of the DP’s cooperation with the ruling National Resistance Movement. The timing also comes as DP tries to steady itself after internal disputes ahead of the 2025 National Delegates Conference. Mao remains DP president and serves as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Sebamala told Watchdog Uganda that he believes DP is bigger than personal disagreements and said he wants to challenge Mao’s political camp without undermining Mao himself or breaking party unity. The piece also notes that Sebamala first entered Parliament in 2021 after defeating former Vice President Edward Ssekandi and retained his Bukoto Central seat in 2026. The article frames the public handshake as a sign that both leaders may be trying to preserve internal cohesion, even if wider disagreements over direction and leadership remain unresolved.