Edith Byanyima, a senior member of the Democratic Party (DP), has cautioned party president Norbert Mao against celebrating the dismissal of a court case that challenged his leadership, arguing that the ruling did not resolve the party’s deeper governance crisis.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Mao, Byanyima, daughter of the late former DP chairman Boniface Byanyima, said the court’s decision was based on procedural grounds rather than the substance of the complaints raised by party members.
She stresses that the ruling should not be interpreted as judicial approval of the current DP leadership or governance arrangements.
According to Byanyima, the court did not examine the legality of the contested actions within the party, nor did it rule on the constitutional concerns raised by dissenting members.
She warns that portraying the dismissal as an endorsement of the status quo was misleading and risked deepening divisions within the party.
She calls on Mao to recognise the legitimacy of concerns raised by dissenting members, and urges him to take responsibility for restoring inclusive party governance that addresses the grievances of all members.
Her comments follow a High Court ruling last week in which Justice Joyce Kavuma dismissed a suit filed by 12 DP members led by Bukoto Central MP Richard Ssebamala against Mao and nine other party officials.
The judge ruled that the applicants had failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances that would justify bypassing internal party mechanisms and seeking court intervention.
The dispute traces back to turmoil within DP last year, when a faction led by Ssebamala and Lulume Bayiga attempted to remove Mao as party president. The process was marred by controversy, with claims that some party members were excluded from the election that Mao ultimately won.
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