FDC has no money for elections

KAMPALA

A grim picture was yesterday painted on the FDC presidential race with an admission from the party that it has failed to raise money to organise the delegates conference.

The party, however, maintained that the election exercise on November 22 will go on.
More than 860 delegates will converge at Namboole stadium in a showdown that has pitted the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Nandala Mafabi, against the party’s Organising Secretary, Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, and Tororo County MP Geoffrey Ekanya.

Government’s role
Addressing a press briefing at the FDC headquarters in Najanakumbi yesterday, the party spokesperson, Mr Wafula Oguttu, said the organising committee has revised the delegates conference budget, from Shs300 million to Shs250 million but still failed to raise the revised figure.

“We have not collected enough money and are begging because many people and companies that would have donated money to us are scared by government. We need a minimum of between Shs200 million and Shs250million,”said Mr Oguttu.

“We [FDC] are not desperate because arrangements are on course and plans are in high gear. Come November 22, we shall have a delegates conference and if we can not afford Namboole, we shall look for another venue,” said the Bukhooli Central MP.

The head of the organising committee, Ms Alice Alaso, acknowledged the financial crisis, but added that the “money required will be raised by November 21”
Financial contributions to the party become a sticking point when the Elect-Nandala Taskforce accused rival candidates, Gen Muntu and MP Ekanya, of not fulfilling their financial contributions to the party, saying it is a sign of lack of integrity.

The FDC constitution requires that members who are legislators to make a monthly contribution of Shs400,000 to the party.

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