Uganda’s PLU Rocked by Internal Dispute Over Secretary General’s Conduct
KAMPALA, Uganda – The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) is facing a significant internal clash, with loyalists of the movement publicly divided over the actions of its Secretary General, Hon. Daudi Kabanda. The dispute, playing out on social media platform X, centers on an audio recording in which Kabanda allegedly distanced the party’s secretariat from its grassroots “foot soldiers.”
Kabanda, who was appointed to his post by the PLU’s chairman and founder, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in April 2024, has come under fire from some members following the leaked audio from February 25. In the recording, Kabanda is said to have dismissed or separated the secretariat from the movement’s most ardent supporters, a move critics argue undermines the party’s base.
However, the backlash against Kabanda has sparked an even fiercer wave of defence from prominent figures within the PLU, who frame the criticism as a direct affront to Gen. Kainerugaba’s authority.
“An Attack on Our Supreme Leader”
A central theme in the posts defending Kabanda is that challenging an appointee is tantamount to challenging the person who appointed him. Hon. Mwesigye Frank, in a post that garnered significant attention, pleaded with supporters to cease their attacks.
“To all my fellow PLU supporters, let us stop attacking leaders appointed by Gen. @mkainerugaba. When you attack anyone appointed by the General, it is a direct attack on him,” Mwesigye wrote. He suggested the conflict was “fueled by jealousy and envy of some few CEC members” and urged loyalty to the broader vision of the PLU rather than “internal camps or power struggles.”
This sentiment was echoed by multiple users, including Oyite Emmanuel, who stated that an attack on the SG “is an attack on our supreme leader @mkainerugaba directly because he is the one who appointed him.” Another user, Mr. Jordan, reinforced this view, arguing that attacking the SG “shows disrespect to the appointing authority.”
The Trigger: A Divisive Audio
The controversy’s roots can be traced to a specific audio message from Hon. Kabanda. According to a summary within the posts, the audio saw Kabanda distance the secretariat from the loyal ‘foot soldiers’—a term often used for dedicated grassroots supporters. One user, Ruhembo’gwenjura, directly addressed Gen. Kainerugaba, expressing concern that Kabanda had “trash[ed] and distance[d] himself” from people who are depicted in a photograph as his loyal supporters or “‘foot bigere’ according to Hon. Kabanda.”
This apparent slight against the base has angered some members who demand accountability from their leaders, creating a tension between calls for unquestioning loyalty to appointed figures and the desire for transparent leadership.
Kabanda’s Response and the Stakes
As the online storm intensified, Hon. Kabanda appeared to brush off the criticism, reportedly dismissing his detractors with slang referring to them as ‘spoiled remnants.’
The stakes for the PLU are high. The movement is closely tied to Gen. Kainerugaba, who has made no secret of his political ambitions for 2026. The PLU’s official account has stressed the group’s devotion to its cause, despite lacking funds, highlighting the organisation’s reliance on volunteer energy and loyalty.
Veteran journalist Simon Kaggwa Njala weighed in on the situation, asking, “Ndugu @DaudiKabanda, I see missiles flying all over you. Is there a looming power struggle in @Plumedia1?”—a question that now hangs over the movement as it navigates this public and heated internal dispute.
The situation remains a developing story, driven by posts on X, and it is unclear how the leadership will address the rift between those demanding accountability from Kabanda and those who view any criticism as an attack on Gen. Kainerugaba himself.
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