By Beatrice Nambi, wife of Democratic Party (DP) president Norbert Mao, has been endorsed as the party’s flag bearer for Kampala Lord Mayor in the 2026 general elections. Nambi secured the ticket unopposed following the withdrawal of her only challenger, John Bosco Kamoga.
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Her endorsement comes at a time when DP is repositioning itself after a bruising defeat in Buganda during the 2021 elections. Once dominant in Kampala and Masaka, the party was swept aside by the National Unity Platform (NUP) and failed to win a single councilor in Kampala or Wakiso.
DP president Norbert Mao admitted that the party is struggling to regain its footing in Buganda, prompting a strategic shift towards districts where support remains strong.
“We’re shifting DP’s stronghold to Omoro and Isingiro because this is where we have the strongest branches. In fact, we are struggling to mobilize candidates in Kampala, where we have our headquarters, more than in those districts,” Mao told reporters at the weekly press briefing.
Mao accused “rebel members” in Kampala, Wakiso, greater Masaka, and Jinja of holding DP stamps while working with NUP. He said the National Executive Committee (NEC) has since taken over branch leadership in those areas to safeguard the party and will oversee the endorsement of candidates directly.
The DP leader also claimed that losers in the recent NEC elections in Mbarara were undermining his leadership because they still believed the party should be led by someone from Buganda.
“The Democratic Party has become a beacon of hope,” Mao said. “We are prepared to receive back our prodigal children. Those who NUP never favored are now calling us, and our doors remain open up to the last minute.”
DP’s Electoral Commission chairperson Kennedy Mutenyo revealed that 197 individuals have so far applied to contest on the party ticket for parliamentary seats. Of these, 38% are from Buganda, 24% from northern Uganda, 20% from eastern Uganda, and 18% from western Uganda.
Nambi’s entry into the Kampala mayoral race is expected to test DP’s ability to reclaim lost ground in Buganda, where its support base has eroded sharply in recent years.
