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The Amuriat, Biriggwa race
Amuriat is an Engineer by profession. He once worked in public service with Kumi district for one year as district engineer.
He is also the former Member of Parliament for Kumi County, a post he held from 2001 to 2016. POA was also chairman of the Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) among other leadership positions.
Since becoming FDC party president in 2017, Amuriat has had to battle with the police and other security agencies on streets for engaging in the defiance campaign led by his political role model, Besigye.
Besigye played a key role in Amuriat’s journey to become FDC party president when he replaced Retired Gen. Mugisha Muntu in a hotly contested race that split the party. Muntu eventually left the party.
Amuriat has become popular among the FDC party members because he has been moving across the country doing party work. This, according to pundits gives him an advantage over his competitor, Biriggwa.
Biriggwa, on the other hand is the current FDC’s Chairman and former Ambassador of Uganda to Ethiopia and Japan. He is also a former musician, banker and entrepreneur and chief executive and founder of Celtel Uganda currently Airtel.
Besigye described Birigwa as a knowledgeable person with friends abroad having studied and worked there.
“This is the time for him (Birigwa) to bring his friends,” Besigye said. It is not clear whether he will win the race given that he has not moved a lot like his competitor Amuriat to do political activities.
Pundits outside the FDC view Biriggwa’s move as a factor to restore confidence amongst party members that it is still strong even when some of its popular Members of Parliament and members have left to join other political forces ahead of the 2021 elections.
Other commentators predict that one of the candidates will withdraw from the race to avoid formation of clicks or divisions like it has been before during its internal elections both at presidency and other elective lower positions.
Besigye has said FDC has many leaders and either Biriggwa or Amuriat is capable of carrying the FDC flag in the 2021 election.
Besigye’s Plan B
In his abdication speech, Besigye praised the two as “strong leaders”.
Besigye, in a tense speech at the party’s headquarters in Najjanankumbi-Kampala, also said he would continue with the struggle to remove Museveni from power.
Over the years Besigye has blamed Museveni for overstaying in power and keeping power in a few hands of Ugandans and leaving the rest of the population as spectators. He says Museveni has left many Ugandans in abject poverty and presided over increasing corruption, bad governance, election rigging and more as characteristics of Museveni’s ‘misrule’.
Besigye, who maintains he won the 2016 Presidential election said, Uganda will not be freed even if the Electoral Commission led by Simon Byabakama declares a new winner who is not Museveni.
“Museveni will never go to Kololo with his hat and hand over power to the winner,” he said.
He said FDC will maintain two fronts against Museveni; one through elections (plan A) and fighting (plan B). He said that he had extensively discussed with his colleagues that they get somebody to lead Plan A and they leave Plan B for him to man.
“Election gears are our Plan A, the fighting gears are our plan B,” Besigye said, “and plan B is quite wide and evolving.”
“You must listen to channel/plan A and channel/plan B. Plan B will support plan A fully,” he said.
Besigye said the FDC is building a strong front for change. He said it is a duty for everyone to make sure Museveni leaves, whether he wants it all not.
“That duty is very urgent. The fight is on,” he said, “Never ever imagine that I can leave the struggle.”
Commenting on plan B for Besigye, Ndebessa said security agencies will keep an eye on Besigye and might keep him home in the event that they anticipate his activities might threaten Museveni’s regime.
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