The High Court in Kampala has dismissed an application filed by the National Unity Platform (NUP) seeking a temporary injunction to restrain the government from excluding it from receiving statutory political party funding.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Collins Acellam on October 29, 2025 followed NUP’s application against the Attorney General and the Electoral Commission, in which the party sought to block the implementation of a directive by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs issued on August 25, 2025.
The directive required the Electoral Commission to exclude NUP from the list of political parties eligible for statutory funding until it joined the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) in line with the Political Parties and Organisations (Amendment) Act, 2025.
“This is an application brought on motion under Sections 37 and 41 of the Judicature Act and Section 98 of the Civil Procedure Act seeking an interim order restraining the respondents from enforcing the Minister’s directive that excludes the applicant from receiving political party funds,” Justice Acellam noted.
In its argument, NUP through its Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya insisted that the directive was unlawful and unfair, as it sought to deny the party access to funding it is entitled to as a registered political entity. The party also argued that it was in the process of joining IPOD and should therefore not be excluded.
However, Justice Acellam sided with the respondents, noting that the statutory disbursement of funds to political parties had already been executed by the Electoral Commission by the time NUP filed its application.
“An order cannot be issued against a statutory disbursement that has already been affected, therefore making this matter moot. The only remedy would be solved in the main suit,” Justice Acellam ruled.
The judge further agreed with the Attorney General’s position that the Electoral Commission’s actions were lawful, as Section 2 of the Political Parties and Organisations (Amendment) Act, 2025 provides that public resources can only be given to political parties that are members of IPOD and actively participate in its activities.
“In which case, the applicant is not a member of the said organisation (IPOD) and has at all times disassociated itself from it and its activities,” the judge observed.
The Judge, “It will be unjust and unfair for this Honourable Court to issue such an order as it would disrupt the operationalisation of the law to the benefit of the political parties that are already members of IPOD.”
Justice Acellam noted that the NUP’s application lacked merit since there was no imminent threat or irreparable damage posed to the party.
“Accordingly, the application for an interim order lacks merits as there is no status quo to maintain and no imminent threat is posed to the applicant,” he stated.
The court dismissed the application with costs to the respondents.
