By KT Reporter
Presidential candidate Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga has called on members and supporters of the People’s Front for Freedom -PFF to rally behind his newly formed Common Man’s Party -CMP, describing it as “a new force” that even the ruling National Resistance Movement -NRM should be concerned about as the countdown to the 2026 general election begins.
The PFF that broke away from the Forum for Democratic Change -FDC, both founded by former presidential contender Col. (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye, has opted not to field a candidate in the upcoming race. Dr. Besigye, a four-time challenger of President Yoweri Museveni, is currently incarcerated at Luzira Maximum Security Prison on treason charges.
Munyagwa, a former Member of Parliament for Kawempe South and ex-chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), has historically described his relationship with Besigye as a “covenant by blood.” However, he chose to part ways with PFF upon realizing it had no clear intention to field a presidential candidate in 2026.
“I studied their position and realized they wanted to remain vague,” said Munyagwa on the campaign trail in Busoga. “That’s why I chose not to stay in the PFF. You cannot claim to be in Besigye’s party and fail to support Munyagwa. The campaign is short, but let’s move forward and fight together.”
He emphasized that PFF has only one option left to support CMP, revealing that he had reached out to Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, former FDC spokesperson and now PFF’s publicist, seeking cooperation.
However, Ssemujju has reiterated PFF’s decision not to contest the presidency in 2026, stating it is in the interest of building a unified opposition. “PFF made this decision in the broader interest of forming a single, stronger, freedom-seeking force that can steer the country through this turbulent period and hold it together afterwards,” Ssemujju said in a statement dated July 2, 2025.
He further revealed that PFF signed a cooperation agreement with Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Gregg Mugisha Muntu’s Alliance for National Transformation -ANT to consolidate efforts for political change. In the third week of the presidential campaigns, Munyagwa, once known for his dramatic and theatrical conduct in Parliament, has rebranded himself as a populist champion of the “common man.”
Touring the Busoga sub-region in Eastern Uganda, he pledged radical reforms centered on economic justice, service decentralization, and anti-foreign business protectionism. Among his most controversial promises is the proposed ban on Kiswahili as an official language, replacing it with French to give Uganda what he calls “a broader global appeal.”
He also vowed to decentralize Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across Uganda’s traditional regions, taking services closer to rural citizens. Further, Munyagwa promised to establish regional development banks that would offer low-interest credit to ordinary citizens, especially in underserved communities, as a way of driving grassroots economic growth.
In a move reminiscent of former President Idi Amin’s policies in the 1970s, Munyagwa pledged to restrict foreign nationals, particularly Indians and Chinese, from engaging in microbusinesses, claiming their dominance is suffocating local entrepreneurs.
Munyagwa’s manifesto has elicited mixed reactions from analysts and the public. Lodric Wabwire Odo, Programmes Manager at the Centre for Policy Analysis, praised the candidate’s proposals as “tangible and responsive to the common man’s needs.”
“Uganda is losing its economy to foreigners who posture as investors while taking over micro-enterprises,” Wabwire said. “Munyagwa’s plan to reclaim space for Ugandans is necessary and timely.”
He also lauded the decentralization policy, arguing it would help decongest Kampala and deliver essential services to rural areas.
However, legal and political analyst Timothy Msobor Chemonges criticized the CMP agenda as populist and reckless, calling it “a hollow and contemptuous approach to national policy.” “His ideas may win him cheers at rallies, but they lack substance and coherence. Uganda needs pragmatic, not theatrical, leadership,” Chemonges said.
After combing through Busoga, Munyagwa has shifted focus to the Elgon sub-region, with stops in Mbale, Sironko, Bududa, and Manafwa. He then plans to campaign in Ibanda and Kitagwenda in Western Uganda.
He is expected to officially launch the CMP manifesto on December 27, 2025, in Mbarara City. Munyagwa is one of eight candidates cleared by the Electoral Commission for the 2026 presidential race.
The line-up has: President Yoweri Museveni (NRM), seeking a seventh term; Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (NUP); Gregory Mugisha Muntu Oyera (ANT); James Nathan Nandala Mafabi (FDC); Joseph Elton Mabirizi (Conservative Party); Robert Kasibante (National Peasants Party); Frank Bulira Kabinga (Revolutionary People’s Party); and Munyagwa himself, flying the CMP flag.
As the campaign trail intensifies, Munyagwa continues to position himself as the anti-establishment candidate who claims to represent the forgotten Ugandan. Whether that message will resonate at the ballot box remains to be seen.
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