The Deputy President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) for Western Uganda, Robert Centenary, has raised concern over the worsening financial environment facing political parties, particularly those in the opposition.
Speaking during an interview with Canary Mugume on Next Big Talk hosted by Next Radio, Centenary said opposition parties are grappling with severe funding challenges as opportunities for legitimate fundraising continue to shrink.
“Political parties in the country are indeed having financial challenges. Even opportunities for fundraising have been curtailed by the state,” he said.
Centenary noted that the tightening space for financial support has in some cases amounted to what he described as a de facto criminalisation of fundraising activities for opposition parties and their supporters.
“It has almost become criminal for political parties in the opposition to fundraise and be funded by an entity. Several non-governmental organisations have been closed, and others are being investigated,” he added.
He explained that one of the few reliable sources of financing for political parties has been allocations tied to parliamentary numerical strength through the Electoral Commission, which is also linked to participation in the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).
“The only window of hope we had for financing of political parties was the numerical representation in Parliament through the Electoral Commission; it was further pegged to membership of IPOD,” Centenary said.
However, he expressed frustration over what he termed as limited benefits from engagement within the dialogue platform.
“If we have to belong to IPOD just to be fooled, then there is no point in being part of it. As opposition political parties, we can create our own platform where we can hold dialogue and stay away from the ruling party,” he argued.
Centenary used the platform to call for stronger unity among opposition groups, urging leaders to overcome internal divisions and rally around shared objectives.
“We, as the opposition, need to put aside our egos and start engaging with each other because we have a common agenda and should present a united front. This way, we shall become a strong force that even the government will respect,” he said.
His remarks come at a time of heightened political debate around the future of opposition politics, party financing, and the role of structured dialogue platforms in shaping Uganda’s democratic space.
