By BABRA ANYAIT & KHALIL IBRAHIM MANZIL
The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has shunned the Trust-Building meeting with the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and promoter of the Consociational Democracy Agreement (CDA), Gen (Rtd) Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh that was scheduled for Friday afternoon (13 November, 2026) at his Kirema Heritage Farm, Nakaseke District.
The boycott by the FDC, which follows an emergency senior management meeting convened to deliberate on the invitation, stems from concerns over the neutrality of the venue and adherence to established dialogue protocols. Gen Saleh, who serves as the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and is a younger brother to President Yoweri Museveni, has been actively promoting a proposed Consociational Democracy Agreement aimed at bridging Uganda’s deep-seated political divides.
Speaking to KFM on Friday, FDC party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat said that while his party believes in constructive dialogue to foster a better Uganda that works for everyone, the Nakaseke engagement violates key principles agreed upon by political actors.
“We had earlier set out preconditions for a dialogue, which include, among others: a well-crafted agenda, a neutral convenor, well-defined parties to the dialogue, a neutral venue, and a guarantor of the outcomes of the dialogue,”
Mr Amuriat said. “We find that the proposed meeting falls short of the requirement for a neutral venue, as we are being invited to Gen. Saleh’s private farm”
Mr Amuriat contrasted the farm invitation with the recently concluded Inter-party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD)/ National Consultative Forum (NCF) meeting in Jinja, which they held in a hotel, a venue he says was convenient to all parties and did not compromise their sanctity as an organisation.
“We therefore find it difficult to attend a meeting under such circumstances. We respectfully request IPOD, in future engagement where FDSC’s participation is expected to organise meetings at a neutral venue that can accommodate the interest of all parties” he added.
He also urged the Promoters of Consociation Democracy framework to respect the resolutions made during the Jinja meeting, where former Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) president prof. Ogenga Otunnu and Gen Saleh’s team presented the initial proposal.
“We received the document presented by prof. Ogenga Otunnu and yourself concerning the meeting. And in response, we, the respective party president and secretary Generals, agreed to return to our political parties and consult our various party organs on the subject within two weeks” Mr Amuriat noted.
He explained that internal consultations within the FDC are still ongoing and that the party had anticipated reconvening under the IPOD/NCF framework to present its official findings. “We were taken by surprise by this invitation for parties to interface with Gen. Saleh at his farm,” he said.
Amuriat challenged IPOD to arrange a formal session at a neutral location where Gen. Saleh can formally present his proposed agreement and engage in an honest, high-level and solution-oriented dialogue on the outstanding political concerns that have constrained political trust and cooperation. “Such a meeting would also provide an opportunity for political parties to report back their respected party position in response to Gen. Saleh’s proposal, as mandated by the Jinja meeting” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Leading Opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP) also confirmed they would not attend, citing its longstanding refusal to participate in IPOD activities.
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, stated that the party has already communicated its position to the organisers.
“We are not part of that meeting, we made a formal response early, so we shall not attend it” Mr. Rubongoya said, adding, “We are going to give an official Communication as a party at a appropriate time, but the meeting was organised by iPod and we are not members”
Mr. Frank Bulira, a former presidential candidate and president of the Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation (UFDO) also questioned the whereabouts and utilisation of iPod funds, calling on opposition leaders to withdraw from the initiative which he accused of operating in the shadow of president Museveni despite claiming to challenge his government.
“We say that the Opposition should come out of the iPod because it’s useless, in fact the biggest problem we as opposition are facing now is because of iPod” Mr. Bulira said, while he demanded the immediate releases of detained veteran Opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and his lawyer Erias Lukwago.
Other parties including; People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), and Justice Forum (JEEMA), have not yet obtained official comments from those political outfits by press time.
The Friday engagement is intended as a follow-up to recent backchannel and formal talks between Gen Saleh and various political leaders. Proponents of the consociational democracy model argue that Uganda requires a structured power-sharing and consultative arrangement in which the sitting government, opposition parties, and civil society jointly address historical grievance, political exclusion, and social-economic inequalities that continue to fuel national polarisation.
