Nalukoola condemns commercialisation of politics

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Kawempe North MP Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola has condemned the commercialisation of politics, saying it has distorted democracy and poses a threat to effective representation of the electorate.

He raised the concern during a media discourse at the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) offices in Kawempe on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, while responding to a question on the impact of monetised politics ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Nalukoola noted that when money becomes a primary factor in elections, it undermines democratic principles by creating an uneven playing field for candidates, while allowing wealthy individuals to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens and entrench systems of patronage and vote-buying.

“It is not a secret that our politics has been heavily monetised. However, I implore the voters to eat the money but vote for the best candidates for meaningful representation. If you vote someone because he or she has given you money, you have not elected a representative but a businessman whose main focus will be on recovery of his or her money and not service delivery,” Nalukoola said.

He described it as unfortunate that politics has become one of the biggest economic activities in the country, urging voters to stop demanding money from politicians and instead focus on proper representation.

“I believe money spent in politics should be for logistical purposes like printing campaign posters, but not for buying votes,” he said.

Nalukoola warned that the monetisation of politics would result in elected officials prioritising financial backers over voters, thereby reducing political accountability and corrupting the integrity of the electoral process.

“When politicians are more beholden to their financial backers than to their constituents, they become less responsive to voters’ interests and needs,” he added.

Citing the United States as an example, where candidates must demonstrate monetary contributions from voters before being allowed to stand, Nalukoola said Uganda must take bold steps to counter monetised politics, which he described as dangerous for a young democracy.

“We have been hearing stories that some candidates in the ongoing NRM party elections have spent over sh5b. This is not good for our country. How do you expect a person who has invested a lot of money to offer proper representation to you? This is ugly and we should say no to monetised politics,” he said.

Nalukoola argued that it should be voters who fund their politicians, not the reverse.

“If you have contributed money to me to go and represent you, it means I am accountable to you, but if I give you money to vote for me, there is no way I am accountable to you. This is the danger of monetised politics,” he said.

On the readiness of the opposition for the 2026 general elections, Nalukoola said each party has its own strategy.

“I don’t remember any time we have had a joint candidate. An attempt was made in 2016 with the Democratic Alliance, but it failed. So, I believe each party is ready because for us as the National Unity Platform (NUP), we are more than ready and our candidate is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu,” he said.

Asked about the number of presidential nomination forms that have been picked, Nalukoola said it was of little consequence.

“I can tell that, as usual, even the 2026 general elections will be a two-man race, and the good thing is that the voters have always aligned with the formidable candidates. I believe the race will be between President Yoweri Museveni and Kyagulanyi,” he said.

On the possibility of an opposition coalition, Nalukoola responded: “Each party has got its ideology. Some of the politicians we have are republicans, while others are federalists. So, it may be difficult to have a coalition, but as NUP, we shall continue to engage other political parties.”