Political Parties and Organisations Act

1. "district" means the area of authority of a district council;
2. "Electoral Commission" means the Electoral Commission established by Article 60 of the Constitution;
3. "executive committee" means the governing body of a political party or organisation by whatever name called;
4. "founder of a political party or organisation" means a person who participates in the establishment of a political party or organisation and who is among the first members of the political party or organisation;
5. "Minister" means the Minister responsible for justice and constitutional affairs;
6. "non-Ugandan non-governmental organisation" means a non-governmental organisation which is registered in Uganda but whose headquarters are located outside Uganda;
7. "political organisation" means any free association or organisation of persons the objects of which include the influencing of the political process or sponsoring a political agenda, whether or not it also seeks to sponsor or offer a platform to a candidate for election to a political office or to participate in the governance of Uganda at any level;
8. "political party" means a political organisation the objects of which include the influencing of the political process or sponsoring political agenda, whether or not it also seeks to sponsor or offer

6 further items remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) A political party or organisation may, in accordance with this Act, be founded in Uganda to further any purpose which is not contrary to the laws of Uganda.
2. (2) A citizen of Uganda has a right to form or join a political party or organisation of his or her choice.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. The Electoral Commission shall be responsible for the registration of political parties and organisations under this Act

1. (1) A person shall not form a political party or organisation-
2. (a) the membership of which is based on sex, race, colour or ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion or other similar division;
3. (b) which uses words, slogans or symbols which could arouse divisions on any basis specified in paragraph (a); or
4. (c) the objects and membership of which are not of a national character.
5. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a political party or organisation is formed on any of the basis specified in subsection (1) if membership or leadership is restricted to members of any particular category specified in that subsection or if its structure and mode of operation is not national in character.
6. (3) Any political party or organisation and any member of the executive committee of a political party or organisation which or who contravenes any provision of this section commits an offence and-
7. (a) in the case of a political party or organisation, is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding seventy-two currency points; and
8. (b) in the case of a member of the executive committee of a political party or organisation, is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding seventy-two currency points or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both.

1 further item remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) A political party or organisation in Uganda shall be registered in accordance with this Act and shall pay such fee as may be prescribed by the Minister by regulations made under section 28.
2. (2) The Electoral Commission shall maintain a register of political parties and organisations under this Act.
3. (3) A political party or organisation registered under this Act shall be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and may sue and be sued in its corporate name; but a court or tribunal shall not have power in any suit to grant an order of involuntary winding up of a political party or organisation in favour of a judgment creditor.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) An application to register a political party or organisation shall be made to the Electoral Commission and shall be accompanied by-
2. (a) two copies of the constitution of the political party or organisation duly signed by authorised officers of the political party or organisation;
3. (b) a list of the full names and addresses of at least fifty members of the political party or organisation from each of at least two-thirds of all the districts of each of the traditional geographical regions of Uganda listed in Schedule 2 to this Act, being members ordinarily resident or registered as voters in the district;
4. (c) a full description of the identifying symbols, slogans and colours of the political party or organisation, if any; and
5. (d) the registration fee specified in section 5(1).
6. (2) The application referred to in subsection (1) shall be in Form 1 in Schedule 3 to this Act.
7. (3) The Electoral Commission may cause independent inquiries to be made so as to ascertain the truth or correctness of particulars submitted with the application.
8. (4) The Electoral Commission shall cause a notice of the application to be published in the Gazette within thirty days after receiving it, inviting objections from any person concerning the name, aim, objects and constitution of the political party or organisation or on any other lawful ground and specifying the time, not being longer than fourteen days, within which the objections must be submitted.

15 further items remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (a) any registered political party or organisation;
2. (b) the Republic of Uganda; or
3. (c) a statutory corporation or other body the whole or the greater part of the proprietary interest in which is held by or on behalf of the State, or in which the State has a controlling interest, or which so closely resembles, the symbol, slogan, colour or name or initials of another political party or organisation or the Republic of Uganda or a body described in paragraph (c) as to be likely to deceive or confuse members of the public.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) Every political party or organisation shall, within sixty days after the expiry of the first year after the issue to it of a certificate of registration under section 6(10), or such longer period as the Electoral Commission may allow, submit to the Electoral Commission a written declaration in Form 2 in Schedule 3 to this Act.
2. (2) The political party or organisation shall also, annually, after the first year, within such time as the Electoral Commission may direct, submit to the Electoral Commission a written declaration in Form 2 in Schedule 3 to this Act.
3. (3) A declaration submitted to the Electoral Commission under subsection (1) or (2) shall state the sources of funds and other assets of the political party or organisation.
4. (4) The declaration shall be authorised by the members of the executive committee.
5. (5) The Electoral Commission shall, within thirty days after receipt of the declaration, publish in the Gazette notice of the fact that the declaration has been received and that it is available for inspection at the offices of the Electoral Commission by any member of the public upon payment of a fee prescribed under this Act.
6. (6) Where a political party or organisation fails to comply with this section within twenty-one days after notice from the Electoral Commission to do so, the Electoral Commission may apply to the High Court for an order to deregister the political party or organisation.
7. (7) Without prejudice to any other penalty provided in this Act, where a political party or organisation makes a statement for the purpose of this section which is false in a material particular, the political party or organisation commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding seventy-two currency points.
8. (8) A member of the executive committee of a political party or organisation referred to in subsection (7) who contributes in any way to the commission of the offence referred to in that subsection, also commits the offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding seventy-two currency points or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) A political party or organisation shall, in its internal organisation, bmply with the provisions of the Constitution, in particular Articles 71 and 72 of the Constitution.
2. (2) Every political party or organisation shall elect such persons as may be determined by the members of the political party or organisation as members of the executive committee of the political party or organisation with due consideration for gender equity.
3. (3) The election of members of the executive committee of every political party or organisation shall be conducted at regular intervals not exceeding five years.

Citing judgments are indexed, but no express interpretive proposition has yet passed the passage-verification threshold. Open Judicial treatment for the citing passages.

1. (1) Where a political party or organisation registered under section 5 intends to change or alter-
2. (a) its constitution; or
3. (b) its identifying symbol, colour or name, the political party or organisation shall notify the Electoral Commission of its intention.
4. (2) The Electoral Commission shall, in the case of a change under subsection (1), within twenty- one days after the receipt of the notification, cause to be published in the Gazette a notice of the intended change or alteration.
5. (3) Every change or alteration referred to in subsection (1) shall come into effect when the Electoral Commission approves the application to change or alter the symbol, constitution, colour or name as the case may be, and after publication of the approval in the Gazette.
6. (4) A political party or organisation registered under section 6 shall notify the Electoral Commission in writing within twenty-one days after any change occurs in the title, name and address of any person or office submitted to the Electoral Commission under section 6 and the Electoral Commission shall, within fourteen days after receipt of the notification, cause it to be published in the Gazette.
7. (5) Where any change occurs in the physical location of the office of a political party or organisation, the political party or organisation shall cause the change to be notified in the Gazette and shall inform the Electoral Commission of the change in writing.

Citing judgments are indexed, but no express interpretive proposition has yet passed the passage-verification threshold. Open Judicial treatment for the citing passages.

1. (1) Every political party or organisation shall maintain at its national head office, an accurate and permanent record consisting of the following-
2. (a) any contribution, donation or pledge of contribution or donation whether in cash or in kind made by the founders or promoters of the political party or organisation;
3. (b) a statement of its accounts, showing the sources of its funds and the name of any person who has contributed to the funds including contributions by persons who are not citizens of Uganda, membership dues paid, donations in cash or in kind and all the financial transactions of the political party or organisation which are conducted through, by or with the head or national office of the political party or organisation;
4. (c) any property that belongs to the political party or organisation and the time and mode of acquisition of the property; and
5. (d) such other particulars as the Electoral Commission may reasonably require with respect to the foregoing.
6. (2) The record maintained under subsection (1) shall be accessible to any member of the political party or organisation.
7. (3) The accounts of every political party or organisation shall be audited once in every year but not later than six months after its financial year by an auditor from a recognised professional body.
8. (4) A copy of the audited accounts referred to in subsection (3) shall be filed by the political party or organisation with the Electoral Commission within six months from the end of its financial year.

3 further items remain in the statutory text above.

Citing judgments are indexed, but no express interpretive proposition has yet passed the passage-verification threshold. Open Judicial treatment for the citing passages.

1. A person who is not a citizen of Uganda shall not be appointed to and shall not accept appointment to a political office in a political party or organisation

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) The persons or bodies referred to in subsection (2) shall not directly or indirectly make a contribution, donation or loan whether in cash or kind in excess of the value of twenty thousand currency points within any period of twelve months, to funds held or to be held by or for the benefit of a political party or organisation.
2. (2) Subsection (1) applies to the following-
3. (a) a non-Uganda citizen;
4. (b) a foreign government or diplomatic mission;
5. (c) a non-Ugandan non-governmental organisation, registered in Uganda under the Non- Governmental Organisations Act.
6. (3) A political party or organisation shall not-
7. (a) demand or accept directly or indirectly a contribution, donation or loan in excess of the value of twenty thousand currency points within any period of twelve months, from any organisation specified in subsection (2); or
8. (b) demand or accept directly or indirectly any contribution, donation or loan in excess of the total value of two hundred thousand currency points in any period of twelve months from any one or more of the sources referred to in subsection (2).

19 further items remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (b) in respect of elections, Government shall finance political organisations and parties on equal basis;
2. (c) in respect of normal day-to-day activities, funding shall be based on the numerical strength of each political party or organisation in Parliament;
3. (d) the funds provided to political parties and organisations under this Act, shall be subject to audit by the Auditor General.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) The Electoral Commission may, in writing, request an officer of a political party or organisation to furnish for inspection by the Electoral Commission records required to be maintained under section 11 or such other information as is reasonably required by the Electoral Commission to enable the Electoral Commission to ensure that the provisions of this Act are complied with.
2. (2) A political party or organisation or officer of the political party or organisation shall comply with a request made to it or to him or her by the Electoral Commission under subsection (1).
3. (3) Any political party or organisation which, or a person who-
4. (a) refuses or fails to comply with a request under this section; or
5. (b) furnishes information knowing it to be false in any material particular, commits an offence and is liable, on conviction-
6. (i) in the case of a political party or organisation, to a fine not exceeding forty-eight currency points; and
7. (ii) in the case of a person other than a political party or organisation, to a fine not exceeding forty-eight currency points or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) A member of the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force, the Uganda Prisons Service, a public officer, a traditional or cultural leader or a person employed in a company wholly owned by the Government shall not-
2. (a) be a founder, promoter or other member of a political party or organisation;
3. (b) hold office in a political party or organisation;
4. (c) speak in public or publish anything involving matters of political party or organisation controversy; or
5. (d) engage in canvassing in support of a political party or organisation or of a candidate standing for public election sponsored by a political party or organisation.
6. (2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding twenty-four currency points or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (b) the new party or organisation shall be required to be registered for the purposes of this Act.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (b) each party or organisation shall furnish the Electoral Commission, within such period as the Electoral Commission shall direct, a copy of the terms of the agreement of the alliance;
2. (c) in any public elections each candidate shall be personally identified by the symbol of his or her party on the ballot paper;
3. (d) where the parties nominate separate candidates to contest an election in the same constituency, each candidate shall be identified separately on the ballot paper and in relation to his or her party only; and
4. (e) fees payable under this Act or any regulations made under this Act by or in respect of a candidate for elections shall be paid separately by or for each candidate standing for the elections in the name of his or her own party, the alliance notwithstanding.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. A political party or organisation, a leader, official, candidate, member, agent or representative of a political party or organisation shall adhere to the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Organisations set out in Schedule 4 to this Act

Citing judgments are indexed, but no express interpretive proposition has yet passed the passage-verification threshold. Open Judicial treatment for the citing passages.

1. (1) There shall be a National Consultative Forum for Political Parties and Political Organisations.
2. (2) The National Consultative Forum shall be composed of-
3. (a) one representative from every registered political party or organisation appointed by the party or organisation;
4. (b) the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission or his or her representative;
5. (c) the Attorney General or his or her representative as an ex officio member; and
6. (d) the Secretary of the Electoral Commission, who shall be the Secretary.
7. (3) The term of office of members of the National Consultative Forum nominated under subsection (2) (a) shall be for a period not exceeding five years.
8. (4) The functions of the National Consultative Forum shall include-

8 further items remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) The National Consultative Forum shall have a chairperson who shall be a person nominated from members of the National Consultative Forum by the majority party in Parliament.
2. (2) The National Consultative Forum shall have a vice chairperson who shall be a person nominated from members of the National Consultative Forum by the majority opposition party in Parliament.
3. (3) The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be persons who are members of a political party or organisation and members of the National Consultative Forum.
4. (4) The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall hold office for five years.
5. (5) The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson may be removed from office by a vote of no confidence by the members of the National Consultative Forum upon a petition submitted by a member of the forum on any of the following grounds-
6. (a) misconduct;
7. (b) insanity;
8. (c) incompetence; or

5 further items remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) Where a political party or organisation does not comply with the provisions of this Act, the Electoral Commission may by writing require compliance; and if the political party or organisation persists in non-compliance, the Electoral Commission may apply to the High Court for an order winding up the political party or organisation.
2. (2) In any case, a political party or organisation convicted-
3. (a) of an offence under section 13; or
4. (b) of any other offence under this Act more than three times, the Electoral Commission shall apply to the High Court for an order to deregister the political party or organisation and the High Court shall make such orders as may be just for the disposition of the property, assets, rights and liabilities of the political party or organisation.
5. (3) Subsection (2) shall not have effect during any period when an appeal may be brought against any conviction referred to in that subsection or while any such appeal is pending.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) Where any appeal under this Act has been determined by the ligh Court, any party aggrieved by the decision of the High Court may appeal to the Court of Appeal against the decision.
2. (2) Any party aggrieved by the decision of the Court of Appeal may appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision.
3. (3) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), where a matter touches on the interpretation of the Constitution, any aggrieved party may petition the Constitutional Court.
4. (4) The Chief Justice may, in consultation with the Attorney General, make rules of court to regulate the procedure in the High Court and the Court of Appeal under this Act.
5. (5) Subject to this Act, but without prejudice to the general effect of subsection (4), rules of court made under this section may-
6. (a) prescribe the time within which an appeal may be made or when any step connected with the appeal shall be taken;
7. (b) prescribe the time within which the appeal or any proceeding connected with the appeal shall be completed;
8. (c) prescribe forms and fees in relation to such appeals; and

1 further item remain in the statutory text above.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. Where any appeal under this Act or any proceedings arising out of section 22 are before the High Court, the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court, the Court shall proceed with the matter expeditiously and may, for that purpose, suspend any other matter pending before it

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. Where a provision of this Act requires the Electoral Commission to publish anything in the Gazette, the Electoral Commission may, in addition, cause it to be published through the print and electronic media; and the provisions of this Act shall have effect accordingly.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) Upon the court making an order winding up a political party or organisation under section 22, the court shall make such orders as appear just and equitable for the disposition of property, assets, rights and liabilities of a political party or organisation.
2. (2) The Electoral Commission shall not apply for an order winding up a political party if there is an appeal pending in respect of that matter.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. The Electoral Commission may designate any of its officials to carry out any functions conferred upon it by this Act

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) The Minister may, with the approval of Parliament, make regulations for the implementation of the provisions of this Act.
2. (2) Without prejudice to the general effect of subsection (1), regulations made under this section may prescribe a penalty for contravention of the regulations of a fine not exceeding twenty-four currency points or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.

1. (1) The Minister may, by statutory instrument, with the approval of Cabinet, amend Schedule 1 to this Act.
2. (2) The Minister may, by statutory instrument, with the approval of Parliament, amend Schedules 2, 3 and 4 to this Act.

No judgment in the current Wakilii corpus expressly cites this section. Bare rule-number references are not assigned where the Order cannot be verified.