Yusuf Nsibambi leaves FDC to join NRM, citing opposition chaos

• Yusuf Nsibambi leaves FDC after citing opposition disunity and electoral loss.
• The Mawokota South MP joins NRM, pledging service delivery and development.
• Nsibambi brings 150 supporters and blames FDC internal wrangles for declining credibility.

Yusuf Nsibambi’s political journey has taken a dramatic turn.

The outgoing Mawokota South MP and Vice Chairperson for the Central Region in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has officially crossed over to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), saying the opposition has lost direction and coherence.

Nsibambi announced his decision on Wednesday at the NRM secretariat, explaining that it wasn’t a rushed move but one he arrived at after serious reflection about the state of opposition politics in Uganda.

According to him, the biggest problem has been the lack of coordination among opposition parties.

“There is no proper direction,” he said. “We have never sat as opposition parties to harmonise our positions on key national issues. Decisions are taken without consultation, and that confusion has affected our credibility before the electorate.”

A long-serving opposition figure, Nsibambi has held several influential positions over the years. He once chaired the Electoral Commission of the FDC and later served as the party’s Deputy President for the Central Region. In Parliament, he took on roles such as Shadow Minister for Works and Transport and Opposition Chief Whip — positions that placed him at the heart of the opposition’s legislative strategy.

But on Wednesday, he spoke like a man who had closed one chapter and was ready for another.

During his unveiling, Nsibambi described President Yoweri Museveni as “a good person who listens,” revealing that a personal conversation with the head of state influenced his decision.

“When I talked with President Museveni, I realised he is a good person who listens to everyone. That is not what I experienced on the Opposition side,” he said.

He added that about 150 of his supporters are prepared to follow him to the NRM. “They are tired of fights and want talks,” he noted.

Nsibambi also pointed to years of internal wrangles within the FDC, which he said led to breakaway factions linked to figures such as Betty Kamya, Mugisha Muntu, and Erias Lukwago. To him, those divisions signaled deeper structural issues that the party had failed to resolve.

His recent electoral loss in Mawokota South appears to have been the final wake-up call.

“No one believed I could lose Mawokota South, but I sincerely lost,” he admitted. “The electorate told us they were tired of the kind of politics we were advancing.”

He said the defeat was humbling, especially in polling stations where he received as few as three votes despite deploying agents.

“I was not cheated; the people simply did not elect me despite my service,” he said.

Nsibambi did not hold back in critiquing what he described as confrontational tactics within sections of the opposition, including parliamentary walkouts and mobilising youth for protests without a clear, unified strategy.

“When we were in FDC, we thought we could deliver on the side of defiance, but it was all in vain. Our numbers keep falling, and the leadership is not straight, so I have decided to join NRM for more service delivery,” he said.

In his view, the opposition gradually drifted away from presenting structured development programmes and clear budget alternatives to voters. Instead, he argued, the focus shifted heavily toward defiance politics without coordination.

“You cannot build a political programme on confusion,” he added. “Instead of presenting development programmes and clear budgets to the people, the focus shifted to defiance without coordination.”

Now aligning himself with the ruling party, Nsibambi said he believes working with government offers a more constructive path forward.

“We have a duty and responsibility to work harmoniously in a peaceful manner. We need tranquility for development. Chaos will not help our country,” he said, pledging to serve in any capacity within the NRM and to formally return his FDC membership card.

Welcoming him to the party, NRM National Vice Chairperson (Female) and Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, said more opposition and independent MPs were increasingly warming up to the ruling party — a sign, she suggested, of shifting political winds ahead of the next electoral cycle.