Mr Norbert Mao, the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, yesterday tabled before Parliament new proposed regulations that will guide the operations of political parties under the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD). Minister Mao, also the president general of Uganda’s oldest political party-the Democratic Party (DP), said the regulations are aimed at strengthening accountability, structured dialogue, and inclusivity in Uganda’s multiparty political system.
The proposed Political Parties and Organisations (Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue) Regulations, 2025, that has been referred to the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for consideration before being considered by the House, is clear, if not bold, enough in its language. It stipulates that political parties that are members of IPOD will be required to participate in at least two-thirds of the organisation’s activities every year. These include: the Summit, Council, business committee meetings, and other engagements determined by the Summit.
According to the regulations seen by the Monitor, parties that will fail to meet the participation threshold will be reported by the IPOD Secretariat to the Council, which will forward a report to the Summit for consideration. The Summit will then decide whether the non-compliant political party qualifies for government funding, as stipulated under Section 14(2) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act.
The regulation is designed to ensure that parties benefiting from public funds remain active participants in national dialogue and political development. In the past, some political parties had either boycotted or irregularly participated in IPOD activities, undermining the purpose of the platform, and these could at the end of the day receive funding from the government. ‘This law is not to punish any political party but to encourage discipline, transparency, and dialogue. IPOD is meant to be a house of conversation for all political players, and we want to institutionalise that spirit,’ the regulations read in part.
New structure
Under the proposed framework, IPOD will operate through three main structures, the Summit, the Council, and the Secretariat, each with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The Summit will serve as the highest decision-making organ, composed of party leaders and secretaries-general of all member political parties. It will be chaired on a rotational basis every two years, following the alphabetical order of party names. The Summit’s functions will include: exercising strategic oversight over IPOD structures, generating a national dialogue agenda, reviewing recommendations from the Council, and ratifying resolutions. It will meet at least once every six months and operate in accordance with a Code of Conduct appended to the regulations.
The Council, which will act as the implementing arm of IPOD, will be composed of secretaries-generals and two executive members from each political party, one of whom must be a woman. The Council will meet at least once a month to implement decisions of the summit, propose dialogue agendas, monitor political developments, issue statements on the state of political affairs, and create thematic technical committees to support IPOD’s objectives.
The secretariat, currently hosted by the National Consultative Forum, will coordinate IPOD’s day-to-day operations and serve as a link between the council and the summit. It will also be responsible for organising a bi-annual audit of IPOD’s activities. The audit will coincide with the change of leadership, requiring the outgoing chair to present an accountability report outlining achievements, challenges, and recommendations for the next leadership.
Code of conduct
The proposed regulations introduce a detailed Code of Conduct for all political parties and organisations under IPOD. The code outlines principles to guide cooperation, including patriotism, mutual respect, inclusiveness, accountability, gender equity, and utmost good faith. It also sets objectives such as promoting democracy, good governance, and peaceful coexistence among political actors; strengthening the institutional integrity of political parties; encouraging participation of women, youth, and other special interest groups in politics; and fostering cooperation among parties beyond partisan considerations.
The Code of Conduct will serve as a moral and legal compass for IPOD members and ensure that disagreements are resolved within a framework of mutual respect and lawful engagement. To enhance effectiveness, the council will form several committees, including the Business Committee, the Research and Policy Committee, the Conflict Resolution and Mediation Committee, and the Implementation Committee.
What next?
The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee is expected to review the proposed regulations in detail and present its findings to Parliament in the coming weeks. Once the report is debated and adopted, the regulations will be gazetted and come into force. Yesterday, after tabling the regulations, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality lawmaker, asked Minister Mao to explain why the National Unity Platform (NUP) party’s request to join IPOD has stalled. ‘I do not know how someone was made a leader and did not see that, but instead told them to follow the process.
Under which regulations was NUP stopped from joining the organisation given the fact that you are just tabling the law?’ Mr Ssemujju said. In response, Mr Mao said NUP has not been stopped from joining IPOD. The Opposition party has instead been given, Mr Mao added, clear guidelines from the Secretariat to follow.
‘I have always said that I can kneel down for NUP to join IPOD. I hope they will be able to join in the next summit and publicly announce their entry and participate in the activities,’ Mr Mao said.
Background
Government first introduced the idea of linking political party funding to participation in the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) in 2018. This was part of efforts to strengthen multiparty democracy and promote regular engagement among political actors.