Kampala, Uganda |Julius Dumba, the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) Chairperson for Kampala District, has launched a scathing formal complaint against the Democratic Party (DP) leadership, accusing top officials of orchestrating an exclusionary and unconstitutional internal electoral process that has barred him from contesting for the position of President General.
In a detailed letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, and copied to key party organs including the National Chairman, President General, and members of the National Council and Executive Committee, Dumba outlined a series of grievances that he says made it “impossible” for him to submit his nomination forms despite having formally picked them with the full intention to run.
Central to Dumba’s protest is the sudden and unapproved increase of nomination fees — a move he termed “exorbitant and undemocratic.” According to him, the fee for the President General position was doubled from UGX 5 million to UGX 10 million without the required approval of the National Executive Committee, a direct violation of Article 9.3 of the DP Constitution (2018). He argued that such a financial barrier was “a calculated exclusion of youth and grassroots candidates.”
The youth leader also raised alarm over what he calls a “clear conflict of interest” by the Secretary General, who is also reportedly an aspirant in the same race while overseeing the electoral process.
“You cannot be both a referee and a player,” Dumba noted, further decrying the formation of an “unapproved Election Committee” which he claims was instituted without NEC consultation.
Dumba described the process as “opaque and rushed,” citing the short window for submitting Expressions of Interest and the questionable claim that 80% of National Delegates Conference delegates had been profiled while key district-level elections remained incomplete.
“This process reeks of manipulation and commercialization,” Dumba said in a public address following his complaint. “We are witnessing a DP that is morphing into the very systems it was created to challenge.”
The complaint also highlights what Dumba sees as “intimidation and exclusionary practices” targeting reformist candidates. He said that as a vocal critic of the current leadership’s methods, he has experienced subtle forms of intimidation — further eroding his confidence in the process.
In a comprehensive list of redress demands, Dumba called for an immediate suspension and audit of the ongoing electoral process, reversal of unapproved fee increases, the appointment of an independent election committee, and a public apology from the party’s top leadership. He also requested urgent convening of a National Council meeting within seven days to address these concerns.
Dumba’s campaign theme, “Reclaim, Rebuild, Renew,” which focuses on empowering youth and restoring the party’s democratic ethos, appears to be at odds with what he sees as a top-down, monetized, and exclusionary system. “My decision to withhold nomination was not cowardice but a principled stand against a corrupted process,” he stated.
As Uganda approaches the 2026 general elections, internal divisions within the Democratic Party could prove detrimental to its credibility and electoral performance. With youth making up over 75% of the population, analysts warn that excluding their voices from the leadership table may further alienate the party’s base.
The DP leadership has yet to issue an official response to Dumba’s complaint.
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