With election day fast approaching, campaigns have become more intensive and demanding, forcing a growing number of candidates to embark on fundraisers. The Deputy Lord Mayor, Ms Doreen Nyanjura, who is vying for the Mwenge Central parliamentary seat, launched a fundraising drive, calling for support in a bid to have a people-centred and service-oriented leadership, and shared her MTN number on which any contribution should be made.
Mr Basil Bataringaya Rwankwene, who is contesting for the Kashari North parliamentary seat, took to his former school’s Old Boys’ WhatsApp group and appealed for financial support, which he said can be channelled through his shared MTN and Airtel numbers or Centenary Bank account.
A member of the WhatsApp group, who declined to be named, says: ‘The guy is looking for money; he even calls people at random.’
Mr Samuel Makokha, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) parliamentary candidate for Busia Municipality, had his campaigns plunged into uncertainty after he was arrested last month, arraigned before the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court, charged with misprision of treason, and remanded to Luzira Prison.
His wife, Ms Jamelia Kaggwa, says the campaign is still standing, and appealed to friends, family, well-wishers, comrades, and supporters for financial support, saying ‘every contribution helps keep the campaign alive, the message visible, and the hope intact.’
Ms Kaggwa says running a campaign from behind bars comes with extraordinary legal, logistical, and humanitarian costs.
‘Makokha has been stripped not only of his freedom, but of the ability to mobilise funding as well as access to his own bank accounts, leaving him unable to pay legal fees or sustain his campaign.’
Political analysts say fundraising has long been a part of politics, and when done transparently, can be a legitimate way to engage supporters. However, the practice becomes problematic when it is not done in a transparent manner, fuelling perceptions of corruption.
President Museveni has, for instance, traditionally hosted fundraising dinners for the business community at State House, highlighting the blurred lines between patronage politics and money.
Dr Kiiza Besigye, in 2016, and the National Unity Platform (NUP) have currently opted for open public fundraising, which can be a strategic move to build authenticity and contrast with wealthier opponents perceived as ‘buying’ support.
Mr Job Kiija, a governance researcher and policy analyst, says while open fundraising can demonstrate grassroots support, it also risks exposing candidates to pressure from powerful financial interests.
‘The ruling regime’s history of targeting vulnerable opponents suggests that transparent fundraising could be exploited, making candidates more susceptible to compromise. Ultimately, a candidate’s integrity and ground support are their best defences. ‘What is needed is a robust campaign finance law requiring disclosure of funds raised, sources, and expenditures to promote accountability and transparency. This would help level the playing field and reduce the influence of money in politics,’ Mr Kiija said last week.
Cost of polls
Mr Timothy Chemonges, the executive director at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), says open fundraising by candidates is emerging largely because the cost of running for office has risen sharply, while access to traditional financing party structures, private donors, or personal resources has become more constrained, especially for Opposition actors.
‘In situations where candidates face arrests, account freezes, and even restricted movement, public fundraising becomes a survival mechanism rather than a choice. In that sense, it is understandable, but it also reflects deeper stress within the political and electoral system,’ Mr Chemonges says, adding that the strategy is tenable, but only to a limited extent. He adds that while public fundraising can ‘democratise’ campaign financing and build solidarity, it operates in a largely unregulated space.
‘Without clear disclosure rules, spending limits, and oversight, it risks undermining transparency and accountability in the electoral process.’ Asked if fundraising puts them in a compromised position, especially given how the NRM has allegedly been buying out Opposition candidates, Mr Chemonges says the risk is real.
‘In a political environment where inducements and buyouts are alleged, candidates who depend on ad-hoc fundraising are more vulnerable both to financial pressure and political manipulation. It can weaken autonomy and expose campaigns to influence from actors whose interests may not align with the voters.
‘Of course, I should also emphasise that this trend signals the need for serious reform of campaign finance laws, including fair public financing, clear disclosure requirements, and protection of candidates’ financial rights. Otherwise, fundraising will continue to reflect inequality and pressure in the political arena, rather than genuine democratic competition.’
Mr Henry Muguzi, the director of Alliance for Campaign Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), says the ongoing fundraising strategies mean that the campaign war chest candidates started with is done, candidates have been spending massively, not wisely, and that they did not prepare enough prior to deciding to contest for office .
‘I won’t be surprised if many of them did not even have a budget. Many go into politics without a fundraising team and a fundraising strategy. Politics, being a service rather than a job, should be for people who have reached a level of self-actualisation financially.
‘Candidates who are running broke are peasants who are seeking political positions to get rich rather than to serve. A rich candidate who wants to serve may not run out of money because he may not engage in vote-buying schemes. The ones that are broke now have been engaging in the wanton distribution of largesse to the electorate,’ Mr Muguzi says.
Being an MP comes with a hefty salary and other additional perks, according to information obtained from the Parliamentary Commission.
Each MP is entitled to a monthly salary of Shs25m, a one-off vehicle allowance of Shs200m, a subsistence allowance of Shs4.5m per month, a town running allowance of Shs1m per month, a medical allowance of Shs500,000 per month, a sitting allowance of Shs50,000 for committee meetings, and a plenary sitting allowance of Shs150,000; as well as mileage allowances.
This publication has previously reported that the price of running a well-oiled campaign varies from region to region, but contests for constituencies in western Uganda were the most expensive, ranging from Shs400m to Shs600m.
In a previous interview, the Kigulu South MP, Mr Andrew Kiiza Kaluya, said campaigning in constituencies in eastern Uganda costs between Shs300m and Shs500m.
2016
A 2016 report by Pete Wardle, a WFD associate at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, examined the cost of parliamentary politics in six countries, including Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Ukraine, with focus on the costs faced by individual candidates and elected Members of Parliament (MPs) – not just during the election period itself, but before and after the election as well.
The report revealed that in all six countries, getting your name onto the ballot paper as a candidate endorsed by a political party can involve very significant payments to the party, in addition to the official deposits and fees payable to the election authorities.
According to the report, the costs tend to be higher with party-list electoral systems, although in Uganda, for example, with a single-member constituency system, it is more expensive to secure a nomination from the dominant National Resistance Movement party than from other parties.
‘. Those who fail to become MPs risk very significant financial losses and/or debts, while those who succeed in becoming MPs face a strong temptation to focus a high proportion of their efforts on ensuring that they recoup the major investments that they have made.’ the report reads.