Is spending Shs500m on MP seat worth it?

At the close of last year, it emerged that Science, Technology and Innovation minister was choking on debts totaling Shs850 million, which he piled up during a by-election campaign for Sheema Municipality parliamentary seat in July 2018.

Minister Elioda Tumwesigye’s letter of June 20, 2019, which stirred a noisy discussion on social media, was reminding President Museveni of a promise he made to rescue the minister from his campaign financial mess.

“I borrowed from money lenders and a Sacco and I am now under immense pressure to pay the accumulated outstanding principle, interest and penalties now totaling eight hundred and fifty millions shillings (Shs850 million),” Dr Elioda wrote in part.

Nominations for candidates in the races for Sheema and five other municipalities across the country were held between June 5 to 6, 2018, with the elections held on July 27, 2018. This means the minister wiped out Shs500 million in only 51 days of politicking.

If Dr Tumwesigye spent a whopping Shs500m on a small constituency of less than 30,000 registered voters, what does this imply for politicians with far bigger constituencies?

Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament (MP) Cecilia Ogwal says the amounts spent by any candidate varies from region to region.

“If an area is dominated by one particular political party, like the National Resistance Movement is dominant in Western Uganda, then the cost of winning is tripled,” she says.

“It is pushed up by the huge investment in winning the party primary because this enhances your chances of winning the general election,” Ms Ogwal adds.
Varying costs

Sunday Monitor established from several MPs from different regions that the price of running a well-oiled campaign varies from region to region, but contests for constituencies in Western Uganda are most expensive.
“You need between Shs400 million and Shs600 million to comfortably run a campaign,” Rukungiri Municipality MP (FDC) Roland Mugume Kaginda says.

Mr Mugume says the expenditure sharply rises due to high costs of campaign components that include vehicles, fuel, posters, public address systems, and voter inducements such as footballs, sports uniforms, and voter protection. But these costs soar to nearly Shs700m when the race is taken beyond party primaries to contend for constituency seat against independent candidates, and others from rival political parties.

Next are constituencies in Eastern Uganda where the Kigulu South MP, Mr Andrew Kiiza Kaluya, says running for a smooth campaign for MP seat costs between Shs300 million and Shs500 million.

“You have to spend on cars, motorcycles, a public address systems, publicity in the form of posters and other promotional materials, consultative meetings and rallies, voter protection and organising musical concerts. Concerts are a great mobilisation tool, especially when it comes to the youth,” Mr Kaluya says.
Coming in third in campaign financing are constituencies in northern Uganda.

“If someone had about Shs300 million in northern Uganda, you can manage a well-run campaign,” Ms Ogwal says.
But it would appear ironical that the least expensive constituencies should be in central region.

Mr Michael Kabaziguruka, who represents Nakawa Division in Kampala, and has 207,855 registered voters, the most populous constituency in the country, says he spent between Shs100 million and Shs150 million. His Masaka Municipality counterpart Mathias Mpuuga also put the cost of his own campaign costs between Shs100 million and Shs130 million.
But why this relatively thin campaign costs in Central Uganda, compared to the double and triple costs in other regions of the country?

“The difference between Kampala and upcountry is that you do not have to pay voters in Kampala as the NRM people are inclined to think,” Mr Kabaziguruka says.
“They [people of Kampala] are alive to what goes on around them. They have already made up their minds so even when you give them money, it will not change their thinking,” he explains.

1980 elections
The high cost of campaigning has left many, who belong to the older generation of politicians bewildered. Prof Paul Wangoola, who contested on a Democratic Party (DP) ticket and beat former Secretary General of Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC), Dr Luwuriza Kirunda, to the Iganga North East seat in the 1980 elections, is one of those left puzzled.

“Most of the costs of my campaign were borne by the electorate. They would organise everything and only invite me to address them. Even things like feeding would be at their own cost. Ours was confined to payment of nomination fees, which were also not punitive. The candidate was left to hire only vehicles and fuel and a little facilitation to the drivers and chief campaigners,” Prof Wangoola says.
Prof Wangoola adds at no point was he compelled to donate to churches or mosques, neither pledge to rehabilitate boreholes or schools as is the case now.

1996 elections
Dr David Kamusaala, who represented Jinja East in the 6th Parliament, says winning an election was never as costly as it has become now.

“Back then, you could use black and white posters, and people were okay with it and they were not so demanding,” he says.
“But now, they will demand money for their medication, education and even food! Your campaigners will demand to be put on a payroll. It is madness!” Dr Kamusaala says.

When and how did we get here?
A report by the Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM) published in October last year suggests that campaign spending started getting out of hand in 2011 and peaked in 2016.

The report titled: ‘Unregulated campaign spending and its impact on electoral participation,’ says the situation is worsened by “perception… that politics means wealth” and that winning an election is a guarantee that “things will come.”
“This informs the decision to invest as much money as they can in elections,” the report adds.

The ACFIM report says Ugandans “continue to witness financially bruised former political candidates” because of having staked everything in order to access election campaign money and meet the demands of the electorate.
Whereas those who belong to the Opposition may not have anywhere to run to, those subscribing to the ruling NRM party usually run to President Museveni, asking for bailouts. The biggest problem is the absence of a law that would have put a cap on election spending.

During a meeting of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) in November 2018 hosted by President Museveni at State House Entebbe, he appealed to his counterparts from other political leaders to work with the NRM to “eradicate electoral violence and the monetisation of politics to give democracy and stability a chance to flourish in Uganda.”
But Mr Mugume says it is Mr Museveni’s well-known practice of handing out brown envelopes that is fuelling the problem.

“Mr Museveni is on a trek to Galamba [to relive the Bush War memories], but he is in the process giving out brown envelopes. People will think that the role of a politician is to give out money,” Mr Mugume says.
Mr Mugume also thinks that the public should be spared the blame for making demands in light of the poor social service delivery by government.

It is hard to tell how those who could have borrowed or got loans, but lost elections have coped, but over the years, many MPs have been arrested for either failing to pay debts or other defaulting. For example, in February 2017, the Kawempe South MP, Mr Mubarak Munyagwa, was arrested for failure to pay a debt of Shs103.8 million.

Again, in March last year, the Kitagwenda MP, Mr Abbas Mugisha Agaba, was charged with obtaining Shs100 million by false pretence. The MP was accused of having taken the money from Mr George Patrick Kasajja, claiming he was going to represent him in court.

Prof Sabiiti Makara, a lecturer of Political Science at Makerere University, says the commercialisation of politics has compromised the responsiveness, calibre and integrity of MPs.

“A person who bought his way to Parliament will do everything in his power to recoup his money and also get more for the next election. I hear some of the elected leaders take money from some of the people they are supposed to investigate,” Prof Makara says.

Worthy business?
A school of thought that prefers to look at running for political office as an investment argue that it is by far one of the most lucrative businesses in Uganda. They argue that it makes sense for a person to invest Shs500 million in an exercise that is bound to see him earn a monthly package of Shs30 million per a month as it translates into Shs1.8 billon over a five-year period.

That leaves one with a profit margin of Shs1.3 billion.
Mr William Nyakuturamu, an investment banker with African Alliance Uganda, says a subsidiary of the South African-based Africa Alliance Group, says such an “investment” though highly risky, would make business sense.

“The highest interest you can get on a government bond is about 18.5 per cent. It is, therefore, clear that such a move (investing in a constituency) is one of the most lucrative passive investments. No bond or treasury Bill will get you such a return,” Mr Nyakuturamu says.

But Dr Kamusaala disagrees. He says whereas the figures suggest that MPs make a good return on investment, they are under constant pressure from their electorate, which demands wipe-out whatever profit that could have been made over the five-year period.

“Even after an election, the electorate will be pestering. They will ask for food, school fees and visit on a daily basis. I never had any privacy. I wasn’t able to carry out any development when I was an MP. I wouldn’t advise anyone to go into politics,” he says.

What some leaders say ...

Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament Cecilia Ogwal: “If an area is dominated by one particular political party, like the National Resistance Movement is dominant in Western Uganda, then the cost of winning is tripled.”

Michael Kabaziguruka, Nakawa Division MP: “The difference between Kampala and upcountry is that you do not have to pay voters in Kampala as the NRM people think. People make up their minds and money can not change their thinking.”

Elioda Tumwesigye, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation: “I borrowed from money lenders and a Sacco and I am now under immense pressure to pay the accumulated outstanding money totalling Shs850m.”

CAMPAIGN COMPONENTS

• Transport: Cars, motorcycles and fuel for candidate and agents
• Publicity: FM radio adverts and promotional items e.g. T-shirts, calendars, and baseball caps
• Vote protection: Agents fees, meals, air time and allowances during voting
• Mobilisation: Public Address System, generators, tents, chairs and refreshments
• Donations: To schools, mosques, churches saccos and women and youth groups
• Funeral contribution: Coffins, food, tents, chairs and cash
• Scholarships: Primary, secondary and university education sponsorships
• Entertainment: Hiring musicians and staging concerts

CAMPAIGN SPENDING

• Northern Region:
Shs300m / Shs350m
• Eastern Region:
Shs300m /Shs500m
• Central Region:
Shs100m / Shs150m
• Western Region:
Shs400m / Shs600m

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