Lewis Lubongoya, NUP’s Secretary General addressing party members
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The National Unity Platform (NUP) stands to receive up to Shs1.5 billion annually in government funding after the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) council, recommended that the party is eligible to join after fulfilling all the requirements. This ends years of exclusion from the state-supported political dialogue platform.
Also invited the join is the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), another political party with several members of parliament.
In the current 12th parliament, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has 372 seats, the Independents occupies 68 seats, and the National Unity Platform (NUP) has 48 seats. The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC)has 12 seats, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), 9 seats, the Democratic Party (DP) has 6 seats, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) has 2 seats, while the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) has 1 seat.
An official of IPOD who spoke to Habari Daily on condition of anonymity, said that the decision followed several weeks of marathon meetings of the IPOD council, which is composed of secretary generals of all political parties represented in parliament.
He however said that their recommendation still awaits approval of the IPOD Summit, the highest decision making body composed of presidents of member political parties.
The development opens the door for the party to benefit from public financing provided under Uganda’s Political Parties and Organisations Act.
Funding tied to parliamentary strength
One of the biggest incentives for joining IPOD is access to government funding allocated to political parties represented in Parliament.
Under Uganda’s Political Parties and Organisations Act, political organisations represented in Parliament receive annual government funding based on their numerical strength in the House.
Because NUP is the largest opposition party in Parliament, it is expected to receive a huge chunk of the Shs9.8 billion that was released last year to all political parties that had signed the IPOD MOU. The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) takes the lion’s share, followed by other qualifying parties such as Forum for Democratic Change, Uganda People’s Congress, DP, Justice Forum and People’s Progressive Party.
The money is intended to support institutional development, policy research, civic education, administrative operations, political training and strengthening democratic governance within political parties.
Why NUP previously missed out
Since its formation, NUP has consistently declined participation in IPOD, arguing that the organisation had become ineffective and was being used to legitimise the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Those circumstances meant NUP could neither participate in IPOD activities nor access the government funding reserved for member political parties represented in Parliament.
What is IPOD?
The Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue is a platform that brings together political parties represented in Parliament to promote dialogue, consensus-building and peaceful political engagement.
It was established in 2005 and receives support from development partners to facilitate discussions on national governance, electoral reforms and conflict resolution.
Membership gives political parties opportunities to participate in structured dialogue with government and other political actors while also qualifying them for public funding provided under the law.
Analysts see financial significance
Political analysts say NUP’s admission could significantly strengthen the party financially ahead of future electoral activities.
With access to the funding, the party would have additional resources to strengthen its national structures, conduct policy development, train party officials and expand voter mobilisation programmes.
The funding could also reduce dependence on donations and private contributions, providing a more predictable source of income for institutional development.
However, analysts note that accepting IPOD membership could also generate debate within the party, given its longstanding criticism of the platform.
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