A wave of excitement and anticipation is sweeping across Soroti City as residents prepare to welcome the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi, who is set to address a major rally at Arrow Square on Saturday.
By midday, hundreds of supporters had already begun gathering at Arrow Square, waving FDC flags and donning blue T-shirts bearing Nandala’s image.
Addressing TNN-ONLINE ahead of the rally, Paul Omer, the FDC Presidential Envoy for Teso and Karamoja, said preparations were in high gear and called upon the public to turn up in large numbers to listen to the party’s message of change and economic transformation.
“We are on a high gear to receive Nathan Nandala Mafabi and his team as he comes to speak to the people of Soroti City and the Teso sub-region at large,” Omer told TNN-Online.
“I want to welcome everybody to Soroti Arrow Square for this historic rally. It’s going to be peaceful, and we encourage people from all walks of life, including our friends from the NRM, to come and listen to what we have to say.”
Omer emphasized that the FDC rally is meant to provide Ugandans with an opportunity to compare and understand different political visions.
“Sometimes people think the food cooked by their mother is the best until they taste from elsewhere,” he said metaphorically. “We invite people to come and hear from us, to see the difference between our manifesto and that of the NRM government.”
According to Omer, the rally will officially begin at 2:00 PM, marking one of the biggest opposition political events in the Teso sub-region ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“We expect Arrow Square to be full to capacity. The people of Teso are eager to listen to Nandala Mafabi’s plan for economic rejuvenation and good governance,” Omer noted.
Omer highlighted that among the key issues residents of Teso expect the FDC presidential candidate to address is the revival of the region’s once-thriving agricultural and livestock economy.
“Teso used to be the food basket of the whole country,” Omer said. “We had a strong cow economy and cereal production that fed Uganda and even neighboring countries. People now want to hear how Nandala will help restore that economic strength.”
He said the FDC manifesto proposes a village-based economic model designed to bring development closer to the people and directly inject resources into communities.
“Our plan focuses on putting money at the village level, not at the parish,” he explained.
“The Museveni government’s Parish Development Model has left many households poor because the funds do not reach the real people. We are saying 100 million shillings should go to every village because that is where livelihoods are built.”
Omer added that the FDC plan is practical and fully funded, contrary to government claims that such programs are unsustainable.
“The money is available,” he said. “What the current government is losing through corruption and theft is enough to finance these community-based initiatives. Billions of shillings are stolen every year by government officials, and we must stop that theft and redirect those resources to the people.”
Omer assured residents that the FDC rally would be peaceful and coordinated in line with the guidelines from the Uganda Police Force.
He called upon all FDC supporters to maintain calm, discipline, and unity as they prepare to welcome their presidential flagbearer.
“We want this to be a peaceful and historic rally,” Omer stressed. “Let people come, listen, and engage constructively. Our message is not about hatred; it is about hope and restoring the dignity of Ugandans.”
Political analyst Andrew Otim says the Soroti rally will be a crucial test of the FDC’s mobilization strength in eastern Uganda, a region that has long been considered a key battleground ahead of the 2026 polls.
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