Muguzi also said that companies contracted by the government should be banned from financing political parties or candidates. “Those that are contracted by the government bankroll the party in power and its individuals, and we see quid-pro-quo corruption taking place.”
Civil
society organizations have renewed the call for
the establishment of stricter laws regulating campaign financing and the
commercialization of politics in Uganda. This renewed push comes at a time when
the country has started its 2026 general elections roadmap.
Regulation
of campaign financing and expenses in Uganda has always been a point of concern
in the country’s political space, seen as a solution to voter bribery, which is
said to be one of the leading causes of corruption among politicians. They seek
to recover what they would have spent on vote buying and other forms of
electoral subversion. Activists say the current laws are insufficient to handle
the matter.
Through a
joint statement, the CSOs recommitted to increased advocacy to ensure that this is
achieved the same way it has been with other laws. “As Uganda holds its seventh general
elections under the 1995 Constitution next year, challenges like voter bribery,
intimidation, limited media access for the opposition, violence, and
suppression of dissent persist, which undermines the integrity of the whole
process,” read part of the statement.
Barbra
Babwetera, Executive Director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation, who is also the vice chairperson of the NGO Forum, stressed that without significant
reforms, the upcoming elections may face similar challenges. She adds that as
political tensions rise, there is a need for more transparency.
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significant reforms…
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free and fair elections.”//
Henry
Muguzi, Executive Director of the Alliance for Finance Monitoring, mentioned
that the commercialization of politics has continued to breed violence in the
political space, especially during elections, where it turns into a do-or-die
affair as participants do whatever is possible to avoid losing the money they
would have invested. “This creates a do-or-die affair, employing all means,
including violence, making the commercialization of politics a trigger for
election violence,” he stated.
According to
Muguzi, this same tendency has obstructed many would-be good leaders from
contesting because they are not well-resourced. He adds that this practice has
not only undermined democratic principles but has also led to corruption,
especially among politicians. This, he argues, for a multifaceted solution,
with a stringent law being one of the key components.
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problem is...
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regulate campaign finance.”//
He suggests
that the law should force politicians to disclose the sources of their funding.
It should also ban certain individuals and institutions from funding political
activities in the country. “That law should be able to call for disclosure
because some of the money in our politics comes from very dirty sources, which
contaminates our politics, hence resulting in leaders that don’t serve us but
the sources of their funding,” he said.
Muguzi also said that companies contracted by the government should be banned
from financing political parties or candidates. “Those that are contracted by
the government bankroll the party in power and its individuals, and we see
quid-pro-quo corruption taking place.”
Furthermore, he suggested that the law
should compel politicians to report expenses and provide evidence to legally
pursue those found culpable of voter bribery and other electoral financing
offences.
The proposals, according to Muguzi, will not see the light of day
without the will of the party in power. He called upon those with authority to
support the reforms for the good of the country’s political space.