Political parties to account for funds from government

Political parties benefiting from government financing must disclose to the Ugandan taxpayer how the money they have received since 2011 has been utilised.

According to the Alliance for Campaign Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), a coalition of 18 civil society organisations, the parties must also disclose other sources of political party financing for the 2021 elections.

The organisation said accountability must be provided in line with standard principles of good public financial management practice.

This followed the disclosure by the Electoral Commission (EC) that the Ministry of Finance had on Tuesday last week released sh15b for the five political parties with representation in Parliament to be shared following the Political Parties and Organisations (Amendment) Act 2010, 14A(c).

The Act states that "in respect of normal day-to-day activities, funding shall be based on the numerical strength of each political party or organisation in Parliament". This has, however, been contested by some political parties, which said since this was an election year, the money should be shared out equally in accordance with subsection (b), which states that ‘in respect of elections, government shall finance political organisations and parties on equal basis'.

Henry Muguzi, the ACFIM executive director, told journalists during a press conference at their offices at Inter-Service Tower in Kampala that since 2011, the Government has been releasing funds every year to political parties with representation in Parliament under the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).

He said parties have since concealed information on how the money has been utilised.

In a statement, ACFIM asked the EC to avail information on how the funds channelled through their offices to the political parties have been utilised.

"The EC should make publicly accessible information on how government financing for political parties has been utilised and accounted for by the recipient political parties since 2011," Muguzi said.

In their recommendations, read by Fred Musisi, the board treasurer, the group stated that finance ministry should explain why it has consistently ignored appropriating funds to finance political parties in line with provision 14(b) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act (as amended).

They also want the ministry to appropriate funds and finance registered political parties on equal basis in respect of the coming elections in 2021.

Muguzi said all registered political parties that are fielding candidates in the forthcoming elections, regardless of the level, should benefit from government funding.

"The money is meant to empower the parties and organisations to carry out their day-to-day activities if Uganda is to achieve functional democracy," he explained.

"The finance ministry should reflect on the obligations bestowed on them and appropriate funds to all political parties taking part in this election," he said, adding that some parties had failed to field candidates for lack of money for the nomination fees.

Short of this, the ministry risks being held in contempt of section 14(b) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act (as amended).

He said giving money to political parties based on numerical strength in Parliament was giving undue advantage to one party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), which he said takes 83% of the allocation.

"By ignoring the provision of financing political parties in respect of elections, the ministry is complicit in unlevelling the electoral playing field," Muguzi stated, adding that the act denied political parties a ‘fair stake at the electoral table'.