• NUP rejoined IPOD after new legal amendments made membership mandatory for parties with MPs.
  • David Lewis Rubongoya says the party signed reluctantly and is still challenging the law in court.
  • The move is seen as both a legal obligation and a financial necessity amid limited campaign funds.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) wants to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), to mark its return to the platform it once shunned.

The move follows recent amendments to the Political Parties and Organisations Act that placed IPOD under the National Consultative Forum (NCF), making it a statutory body for all registered political parties in Uganda. The law now requires all parties with representation in Parliament to belong to IPOD, while those without MPs are placed under the Forum for Non-Represented Political Parties.

According to NUP Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya, the party signed the MoU reluctantly after realizing that the law was binding.

“We signed because the law was passed and is in force, but we are still challenging it in court,” Rubongoya said.

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“Our position is that this law was passed without adequate consultation and infringes on our independence as a political party.”

Rubongoya added that while the party has officially joined IPOD, it does not mean NUP agrees with how the platform has been handled in the past.

“We remain cautious and will continue to pursue our case in court. Signing does not mean we have changed our principles,” he noted.

The decision also comes at a time when NUP is struggling with limited campaign funding. Government funding for political parties is now tied to IPOD participation, and Justice Minister Norbert Mao earlier directed that only compliant parties will receive funds.

After raising only about Shs1.3 billion of the Shs9 billion required for its campaign through a public fundraiser, observers say NUP’s return to IPOD is both a legal and financial necessity. However this has of course raised questions about the Bobi Wine led party.

Many laughed at the Kavule based party for finally bowing to Museveni whom they had vowed not to sit or discuss with about anything. It’s now waited to see if NUP ‘s court case will be in their favor or not