Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) has suffered a major legal setback after the High Court ruled that the party has no right to claim funds from the Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), citing its refusal to participate in the platform’s activities.
The High Court in Kampala on Thursday dismissed with costs a case filed by Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP), in which the opposition party had sought to compel the government to release funds under the Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) arrangement.
According to the court ruling delivered on Thursday, NUP had no legal basis to demand a share of the IPOD funds since it had consistently refused to participate in the organisation’s activities.
The judge emphasized that participation in IPOD is strictly voluntary, and that political parties must have actively engaged in its programs and signed the necessary agreements before benefiting from its funding.
“The applicant has on several occasions distanced itself from IPOD and made it clear through public statements that it does not subscribe to the platform’s agenda,” said Mr. Lawrence K. Sserwambala, the Executive Director of IPOD.
Court documents revealed that NUP’s sudden interest in the IPOD funds only came up on October 7th, long after the government had already disbursed the funds to political parties that were officially part of the dialogue platform.
The judge ruled that it would be unfair and baseless to compel the government to allocate funds retroactively to a party that had declined to associate itself with IPOD’s objectives.
Mr. Sserwambala told court that since 2021, IPOD had extended multiple invitations to NUP to join the dialogue framework, but the party either ignored or publicly rejected all of them. Records further showed that NUP had never attended or contributed to any of the meetings, resolutions, or initiatives aimed at promoting multiparty cooperation.
As a result, the High Court dismissed the case with costs, bringing an end to NUP’s bid to access the IPOD funds resources meant to promote dialogue, cooperation, and capacity-building among political parties with representation in Parliament.
About IPOD
The Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) is a platform that brings together political parties represented in Parliament to discuss governance and national issues. Its funding is channeled through the National Consultative Forum for Political Parties and Organisations (NCF).
Currently, the active IPOD members include the NRM, FDC, DP, UPC, and JEEMA.
Since 2021, NUP has declined to sign the IPOD Memorandum of Understanding or attend any of its engagements a decision that has ultimately cost the party access to the IPOD funds.
