Mpuuga Bill seeks to legalise political mergers, coalitions

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Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga has been granted leave to table a Private Member’s Bill seeking to amend Uganda’s political party laws and bring clarity to how coalitions and mergers are formed.

The development transpired during the plenary on Wednesday, May 15, 2025.

Through his “Political Parties and Organisations (Amendment) Bill 2025,” Mpuuga wants sections of the existing law, which appear to him as vague and a stumbling block to meaningful political alliances, overhauled.

According to Mpuuga, the current law, specifically Sections 17 and 18, is unclear and restrictive, offering no clear guidance on how parties can legally unite or work together.

Speaker of Parliament presides over plenary.

Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga.

“The failure to prescribe detailed provisions to govern the formation of mergers and coalitions has affected the uptake in the formation of mergers and coalitions by political parties in Uganda since the legal regime relating to the formation is unclear, restrictive and limited in scope,” he stated.

“Unless the Political Parties and Organisations Act is amended to provide detailed provisions on formation and creation of mergers and coalitions by political parties and organisations, political mergers and coalitions shall remain informal and unregulated and political parties shall remain disunited,” Mpuuga warned.

Members of Parliament following parliament proceedings.

Nandala Mafabi consults with the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka.

Mergers

As defined in the Bill, a merger refers to an alliance of two or more political parties or organisations formed to pursue a common goal. He says it is imperative that such mergers be guided by a written agreement, signed by authorised officials of the merging entities.

The merger agreement must be submitted to the Electoral Commission within 21 days from the date it is signed.

After which, the proponents shall apply for the registration of a new political party or organisation formed as a result of the merger.

Upon registration of the new political party or organisation, all political parties and organisations that merged into it shall be deemed dissolved.

“Where a political party or political organisation merges with another political party or political organisation, a member of the political party or political organisation that has merged with another political party or political organisation who is a member of Parliament or is serving in any other elective office, and does not desire to be a member of the new political party or political organisation formed after the merger, shall continue to serve as a member of Parliament,” the bill states.

“Or that elective office and may join another political party or political organisation or remain in Parliament or any other elective position as an independent member for the remainder of his or her term of office,” it adds.

Member parties may continue to exist but can only act individually if permitted by the coalition agreement.

Sarah Opendi, Tororo Woman MP.

Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi presents during plenary.

Coalitions

On the other hand, political coalitions are defined as an alliance where two or more political parties or political organisations consolidate their operations and combine all officers, structure, and other functions of the political parties.

The agreement must be submitted to the Electoral Commission at least three months before the coalition takes effect. After which, they shall be issued with a registration certificate.

The agreement must spell out the name, objectives, and organisational structure of the coalition.

Musa Ecweru, Minister of State for Works and Transport (Works).

Amos Kankunda, Chairperson Finance committee, consults with the speaker Anita Among during plenary.

Dickson Kateshumba, Sheema Municipality.

Formula for sharing funds

Additionally, it also addresses the sharing of positions, funding and responsibilities among member parties, rules governing nominations, dispute resolution, and procedures for dissolution of the coalition.

Seven political parties with a parliamentary foothold apparently receive sh44.9b annually from the Electoral Commission (EC) to fund their operations.

Out of this, the ruling party NRM gets sh34b, NUP sh5.7b, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) sh3b. On the other hand, the Democratic Party and Uganda People’s Congress are allocated sh908m each. JEEMA and the People’s Progressive Party, which boast of one MP each, get sh100m each.

Kenyan experience

Coalitions are a common feature in Kenya's political landscape. According to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, three major coalitions contested the 2022 general elections. Among them was Azimio La Umoja, a campaign platform for Raila Amollo Odinga, comprising 23 constituent parties.

These included the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the National Rainbow Coalition–Kenya (Narc-K) led by Martha Wangari Karua, and the Kenya African National Union (KANU) headed by former First Son Gideon Moi.

On the other side was the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, led by the incumbent President William Samoei Ruto, made up of 18 political parties. Key members include the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Amani National Congress (ANC), Forum for the Restoration of Democracy–Kenya (Ford-Kenya), and the Maendeleo Chap Chap Party (MCCP).

Unstable politics

However, experts have criticised coalition politics in Kenya for fuelling both inter- and intra-party instability as new ones are formed every election cycle.

As Linnet Hamasi pointed out in her August 5, 2022, article titled “Political Parties, Democracy and the 2022 Kenyan Elections”. The Article was published on the digital forum of the African Peacebuilding Network (APN). Hamasi is a PhD holder in Peace and Conflict from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kenya.

“Kenyan political parties are unstable. Since 2002, each election year has produced a new political ruling party. In 2002, the late president Mwai Kibaki was placed into office under the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). In 2007, the Party of National Unity (PNU) emerged victorious, and, in 2013, the National Alliance (TNA) party and the United Republican Party (URP) coalition emerged as the winners of the elections. In 2017, the Jubilee party, which was a merger of URP and TNA, emerged as the winner of the elections,” she said.

Adding that many of these lack national character

“The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party is dominated by the Luo ethnic group, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is dominated by the Kalenjin, the African National Congress (ANC) is dominated by Luhya, the Wiper party is dominated by Kamba, and Ford Kenya by Luhya, among others,” Hamasi argued.