Parties to get sh7.5b each, NUP left out

KAMPALA - There is a reason for political parties to smile because under the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue each party will receive sh7.5b. The money will be distributed through the Electoral Commission to support political party growth and mobilisation, write Mary Karugaba and Isaac Nuwagaba.

Political parties represented in Parliament and members of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) have reason to celebrate after agreeing to share government funding for the current financial year equally. 

Sources told New Vision that after four years without a meeting, the secretaries generals of the political parties under IPOD met on Tuesday (July 8) and again on Wednesday, July 9, under the chairmanship of President Yoweri Museveni. 

They agreed that this year’s funding would be distributed equally. 

“We agreed that this year, the funding should be shared equally, and the President agreed to the proposal. But please contact the IPOD executive director to tell you more,” a source who attended the meeting said. 

IPOD executive director Lawrence Serwambala confirmed the development, noting that the issue of political party funding was discussed, and members agreed that the disbursement should follow the law. 

According to Serwambala, Section 14(a), clause (b) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act, 2005, provides for equal funding during an election year.

PFF Party President Erias Lukwago

During the meeting with the chairperson of IPOD, who is also the NRM party chairperson and the President, members said the law should be implemented. 

The members said this was not implemented in the 2021 general elections, but now it should be. The President said this will be supported,” he said. 

Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, said the Government allocated sh45b to political parties represented in Parliament for this financial year, which will be shared among the six qualifying parties. 

This implies each party will get sh7.5b. Byabakama added that the Attorney General has provided legal guidance that the funds should be disbursed by the law. 

“The Attorney General gave an opinion that the money this election year should be allocated according to the law. However, he also said parties should receive funds for their daily operations. This means that apart from the sh45b they are supposed to share equally, they should also be allocated operational funds,” Byabakama said. 

According to Hannington Ashaba, the acting Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, sh11.25b will be released this week to the EC for quarter one (July-September 2025). 

Minister Norbert Mao

“The total annual budget is sh45b, but the money is released quarterly. This week, we shall release sh11.25b for the first quarter. The remaining funds will be disbursed as scheduled by the EC,” Ashaba said. 

The funds are distributed through the EC to support political party growth and mobilisation. 

Under the law, the seven parties eligible for funding including the National Resistance Movement (NRM) with 342 MPs, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) with 30, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) 11, Democratic Party (DP) nine, Justice Forum (JEEMA) one, and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) one. 

Despite holding 57 parliamentary seats, the National Unity Platform (NUP) will not receive funding under the amended Political Parties and Organisations Act. 

In May, Parliament passed a private member’s Bill barring political parties that are not IPOD members from accessing government funding. 

The Bill, moved by Napak Woman MP Faith Nakut Loru and assented to by President Yoweri Museveni, makes IPOD membership a prerequisite for funding. 

ANT party President Mugisha Muntu

IPOD, formed in 2005 and legally incorporated in 2021, is a multiparty platform aimed at promoting inclusive democracy, good governance and institutional development. 
It was established with support from the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy. 

Serwambala told New Vision that NUP was not the only party absent from the meeting with the NRM chairperson. 

FDC also did not attend. Previously, funding was based on the number of MPs a party held in Parliament. 

Under the new formula, only IPOD member parties qualify for funding. In a letter dated July 2, 2025, to Byabakama, justice and constitutional affairs Minister Norbert Mao instructed that funding be limited to political parties that are members of IPOD and actively participate in its activities. 

He stated: “With the coming into force of the new law, the EC has no legal basis for disbursing funds to political parties. In the circumstances, I request you not to disburse any funds to political parties, until you hear from me. I undertake to conclude the necessary consultations and the processing of the tatutory instruments envisaged by the new law within three weeks.” 

NUP, which has refused to join IPOD since 2021, has continued to receive a significant share of political party funding. 

The party has consistently argued that IPOD is used to legitimise the ruling NRM and fails to address critical issues of democracy and human rights.

Electoral Commission chairman Justice Simon Byabakama

Fundraising drive 

Probably aware of the funding challenge, NUP on Monday launched a nationwide fundraising campaign to raise over sh10b to support its candidates in the 2026 general elections. 

NUP president Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi said the drive aims at raising resources to enable party candidates to campaign effectively and represent the party in various elective positions. 

He said the campaign targets NUP supporters, sympathisers and members of the diaspora. 

“Quarterly government funding to our party has been slashed. That is why we are taking this case to the public to support pro-people governance rather than Museveni-bent democracy, which does not value the contribution of a just society,” Kyagulanyi said. 

The recently formed Democratic Alliance (DA), led by former Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga and the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), led by Erias Lukwago, will also miss out on the funds. 

Serwambala clarified that although DA and PFF have MPs in Parliament, they are not IPOD members, as their MPs crossed from other parties and were not elected under the current party tickets.

From the 2021/22 financial year to that of 2024/25, funding was based on parliamentary representation, with NRM taking the largest share. 

The Auditor General’s 2022/23 report revealed that sh44.9b was disbursed to seven political parties. 

NRM and NUP received sh34b and sh5.7b respectively, while FDC got sh3b. DP and UPC received sh908m each, while JEEMA and PPP each got sh100m. 

However, the Auditor General noted that JEEMA, DP and FDC did not submit annual work plans, as required for fund disbursement.

FDC's Patrick Oboi Amuriat

Party leaders speak out  

Opposition leaders have criticised Mao’s directive halting fund disbursement. 
PFF executive chairperson Erias Lukwago called the directive unconstitutional, saying Mao has no authority to issue instructions to the EC. 

“A constitutionally independent body like the EC should not be subject to directives from Mao. IPOD is not a statutory body, and there is no statutory instrument from Parliament establishing it,” Lukwago argued at a press conference in Nakasero. 

He added: “It is only Parliament that can create statutory bodies, not Mao. If IPOD was never constitutionally established, it is Parliament’s role to correct that.” 

Kyagulanyi echoed the criticism, calling the move unconstitutional and an attempt to stifle multiparty democracy. 

Speaking at NUP headquarters in Kavule, Kyagulanyi said: “Non-IPOD parties will face financial constraints, affecting our ability to participate in the 2026 elections. That’s why we launched a massive campaign to raise funds; we saw this coming.” 

He emphasised that the funds belong to taxpayers: “This money is not Museveni or Mao’s. It comes from our taxes. Our position remains unchanged.” 

ANT president Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu said Mao’s move undermines democracy and targets parties that question government accountability. 

“Leaders vocal on government waste and corruption are being targeted to weaken their mobilisation efforts ahead of next year’s elections,” Muntu said. 

“It’s now up to citizens to rally resources and challenge a regime that has failed to commit to a peaceful transition.” 

FDC President Patrick Amuriat said that although his party was not invited to the recent IPOD meeting, it will engage under protest. 

“We were not part of Monday’s meeting. We recognise the new law, but we don’t agree with the principles of IPOD. We plan to engage with other members to challenge the law and question why funding is tied to IPOD membership,” Amuriat said.

He added that linking funding to IPOD membership disadvantages smaller or newer parties with national presence but no MPs. “Some parties with only one MP are assumed to have a countrywide presence. This is meant to frustrate others,” he said.