The alliance for campaign finance monitoring (ACFIM) is considering dragging government to court seeking for legal redress on the consistent failure by the finance ministry and the electoral commission to allocate equal money to political parties as per the political parties and organizations Act section 14(b).
Addressing the media this morning in Kampala, the executive director ACFIM Henry Muguzi and the board treasurer Fred Musisi still demand that the finance ministry without delay appropriates funds and finance to all registered political parties on an equal basis in respect of the election 2021 adding that short of this, the ministry risks being held in contempt of section 14(b) of the political parties and organizations Act.
They also maintain that, by not financing political parties in respect of elections, the ministry is denying them participating fairly in the coming general elections. Which sometimes forces political parties to resort to external funding which sometimes might be a security threat to the nation.
ACFIM also questions the yardstick used by the finance ministry to allocate UGX.15 billion to political parties on the basis of numerical strength in parliament under section 14(c) and not 14(b) remains unclear.
ACFIM officials also urge political parties to consider setting up avenues to constantly finance their activities than relying on state funds which don’t come as required.
Since April 9th 2010 when the amendment of political parties and organizations Act to provide for the use of government or other public resources for political party and organization activities came into force, government has consistently ignored section 14(b) of the amendment which provides that, “ in respect of elections, government shall finance political organizations and parties on equal basis.”
