Activists push parties to reveal who’s bankrolling 2026 elections

With Uganda’s 2026 general elections fast approaching, a coalition of leading civil society organisations has demanded greater transparency from political parties, urging them to declare the sources of their campaign funds publicly.

Speaking at a joint press briefing in Ntinda on October 16, representatives from the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), ActionAid Uganda, Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), Transparency International Uganda (TIU), Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), and the Uganda Debt Network warned that illicit campaign financing is corroding the country’s democracy.

“We want political parties to lead by example and stand out as islands of integrity,” said Henry Muguzi, executive director of ACFIM.

“Publish your campaign budgets, your donor lists, and report your campaign spending. Discipline members involved in bribery, and build trust through clean and fair internal processes.”

The call comes just six months before Ugandans head to the polls in what is expected to be a fiercely contested presidential, parliamentary, and local council election. Already, civil society groups say early campaign activity has been marred by widespread allegations of bribery, voter manipulation, and violence.

The coalition cited recent examples from party primaries across the political spectrum. Within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), they noted reports of children being used to distribute bribes, voter registers being altered, and results being falsified.

In the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), internal protests erupted over accusations that party tickets were being sold to the highest bidder.

“Across the political divide, internal democracy is collapsing under the weight of cash handouts and vote buying,” the CSOs observed in their joint statement, warning that this erosion of integrity risks undermining public trust in Uganda’s democratic institutions.

To restore transparency, the coalition urged parliament to pass a comprehensive campaign finance law that would cap spending limits, ban anonymous donations, require real-time disclosure of funding sources, and impose tough penalties for electoral bribery.

They also called on the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Report, as required under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) of 2015.

The report, they said, should detail all election-related expenditures, including the Electoral Commission’s costs, and assess their broader economic implications. Beyond institutional reforms, the groups appealed directly to Ugandan voters to reject what they called the “cash-for-votes culture.”

“Selling your vote may seem like a short-term gain,” one activist said, “but it guarantees long-term suffering under leaders who buy power instead of earning it.”