By Aggrey Baba
Former Lubaga south Lawmaker and Conservative Party (CP) president John Ken Lukyamuzi (The man) has called for amendments to the law governing public funding of political parties.
The man made the proposal on Thursday following a heated exchange with Electoral Commission (EC) official Stephen Tashobya during a Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) dialogue held at Mestil Hotel in Nsambya, Kampala.
As today’s Weekendvision reports, the disagreement arose after Lukyamuzi accused the EC of failing to inform his party about public funds allocated to political parties during a period when CP had representation in Parliament, claiming that the party only learnt about the funds through informal sources and that efforts to recover the money stalled in court.
Lukyamuzi said that the funds in question are public resources collected from taxpayers and should not be treated as discretionary benefits controlled by the EC. He noted the existing legal framework creates technical barriers that prevent some political parties like CP from accessing funding, even when they are participating in elections.
Lukyamuzi, known for being a no-nonsense person, urged the EC and Parliament to either invoke constitutional provisions that allow justice to be administered without undue regard to technicalities, or amend the law to ensure broader access to public funding for political parties.
In response, Tashobya said he was not aware of any outstanding funds owed to Lukyamuzi’s party, explaining that political party financing is determined by law and that allocations are made based on a party’s representation in Parliament.
He further noted that if a party did not have MPs in the previous Parliament, it would not qualify for funding under the current legal framework. Tashobya added, however, that the law itself could be amended to address concerns about fairness and inclusivity, since the funds are public money.
Lukyamuzi’s proposal seeks to change the system by reviewing the law so that access to public funding is not strictly tied to parliamentary numbers, a move he argues would strengthen political competition and participation. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
