The High Court has ruled that political parties must belong to the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) to qualify for government funding, affirming the legality of recent amendments to the Political Parties and Organisations Act.
In his decision, Justice Collins Acellam stated that courts and the Electoral Commission have no authority to ignore or suspend an Act of Parliament.
He emphasized that the amended law clearly makes IPOD membership a compulsory condition for accessing public funds, and that this requirement took effect immediately after the law was enacted.
Court’s decision stems from the case filed by the National Unity Platform (NUP), challenging a directive issued by Justice Minister Norbert Mao instructing the Electoral Commission to halt funding to the party.
NUP argued that the decision was unlawful and premature, claiming it should continue receiving funds until regulations governing IPOD membership were put in place.
However, the court rejected this argument, noting that Parliament did not intend for the law’s implementation to depend on additional regulations.
Justice Acellam ruled that interpreting the law otherwise would amount to rewriting it.
Government representatives told court that NUP had knowingly declined to join IPOD despite understanding the consequences.
The ruling reinforces the requirement that only parties participating in IPOD activities can access public funding, a policy introduced to regulate political financing and promote structured dialogue.
The ruling comes a few days after NUP applied and was allowed to become a member of the IPOD.
Report by : Betty Zziwa
