Uganda: Private Member presents Bill to Regulate Political Party Funding

 

Parliament has begun scrutinizing the Political Parties and Organizations (Amendment) Bill, 2025, following its introduction by Napak District Woman MP Hon. Faith Nakut during a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Among on Wednesday, 14, May 2025.

Hon. Nakut had, on Tuesday, 13 May 2025 , moved a motion under Rules 127 and 128 of the Rules of Procedure seeking leave to introduce the Private Member’s Bill, which seeks to amend the Political Parties and Organizations Act, Cap. 178.

The proposed legislation aims to formalize two organs within the National Consultative Forum: the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) and a Forum for Non-Represented Political Parties and Organizations. It also seeks to define IPOD’s functions and streamline the criteria for public funding of political parties and organizations.

Currently, the Act provides government funding to political parties represented in Parliament under Section 14. However, Nakut argued that the law does not require these parties to uphold democratic values such as tolerance, dialogue, and peaceful co-existence as conditions for accessing public resources.

“To strengthen the National Consultative Forum, we must establish organs that reflect the interests of both represented and non-represented political parties,” she stated.

“Promoting transparency, accountability, and equitable access to public funding requires that parties adhere to democratic principles before receiving public resources,” she said.

According to the Bill’s objective, the amendment would restrict government funding and access to other public resources to only those political parties and organizations that are members of the National Consultative Forum.

The Bill prescribes functions of IPOD as:

• Promoting inter-party dialogue to strengthen democratic governance,
• Facilitating communication among political parties represented in Parliament,
• Advising government on policy matters and fostering a democratic environment, and;
• Providing a neutral platform for engagement among parties of differing ideologies.

The Bill proposes that only political parties and organizations that choose to join IPOD be eligible for government funding and public resources.

Speaker Among referred the Bill to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for further scrutiny.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.