The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rtd. Maj. General Mugisha Muntu, the presidential candidate of the Alliance for National Transformation- ANT party has asked opposition members and non-members who want change to donate and support their candidates wherever they are.
He was speaking to URN in an interview on the findings of the report titled “The impact of the cost of politics on inclusive political participation in Uganda” conducted and published by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Public Policy Institute and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy.
Muntu revealed that political parties like ANT have capable candidates who were nominated but their path to positions of leadership is threatened by lack of funds to run their campaigns especially in this “so-called scientific elections”.
He explained that the campaigns will this time round be more expensive to run compared to the past since candidates have to use media houses and the internet to communicate to voters yet radio talk shows cost no less than Shillings 700,000.
According to Muntu, President Museveni and NRM have tapped into state resources to finance their campaigns to the disadvantage of opposition candidates.
Last month, the government released Shillings 15 billion to the Electoral Commission for funding political parties. However, only political parties with representation in parliament received the money.
According to Muntu, NRM took the the largest chunk of that money while FDC the biggest opposition party in parliament got less than a billion Shillings.
He said it’s against this background that any Ugandan interested in change through an election should donate any amount to their parties to be able to support their campaigns.
Muntu has also called on Ugandans to use their usual experience in determining who the best leaders are by judging their integrity to avoid sending more corrupt people into positions of leadership.
He argues that Ugandans don’t need lectures on how to choose leaders with integrity because they have always chosen leaders in their worship places, clan gatherings and tribal groupings among other areas.
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