By KT Reporter
Frank Kabinga Bulira, the presidential flag bearer of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), has ruled out pursuing legal action against the government over the freezing of the party’s bank accounts, an action he says has crippled his ability to campaign.
Bulira was among eight presidential candidates expected to launch nationwide campaigns on September 29 this year. However, unlike his competitors, he has not held a single rally because the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) issued a directive freezing RPP accounts.
The party says it has never been provided with clear reasons for the decision, except repeated requests to explain the source of its funds. Despite the setback, Bulira insists the RPP will not seek legal redress, arguing that even successful court rulings tend to be ignored in politically sensitive financial disputes.
This was in response to advice from different players, including Charity Ahimbisibwe, the Executive Director of Electoral Laws Institute Uganda, who maintains that Bulira has a right to challenge the FIA’s decision in court.
She notes that anti-money laundering laws provide a clear framework for resolving such disputes, and courts are mandated to adjudicate whenever a party believes it has been unfairly targeted.
Ahimbisibwe emphasised that while the FIA plays a critical role in preventing illicit financial flows, its directives remain subject to judicial review.
But Bulira downplayed the advice and pointed to a case of his colleague, Dr Daniel Semugenyi, a U.S.-based medical practitioner whose six bank accounts were frozen allegedly because of his association with Bulira and with the late Dr Aggrey Kiyingi, a prominent government critic.
Although Dr Semugenyi won the case and the High Court ordered that his accounts be unfrozen, the directive was never implemented according to Bulira. “He was simply told the money could only be released with an order from ‘above’. So, I can’t waste time with courts on this,” Bulira said.
Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said the EC cannot intervene in the standoff, as it has no mandate over candidates’ financial disputes. “The Electoral Commission is not mandated to be a debt collector or facilitator for any candidate to obtain money from anyone,” Mucunguzi noted.
While the standoff persists, the rest of the presidential field, Yoweri Museveni (NRM), Mubarak Munyagwa (CMP), Nathan Nandala Mafabi (FDC), Robert Kyagulanyi (NUP), Robert Kasibante (NPP), Gregg Mugisha Muntu Oyera (ANT), and Elton Joseph Mabirizi (CP), have already spent 69 days on the campaign trail. Bulira remains the only candidate yet to conduct a rally inside or outside Kampala.
Despite the financial freeze, Bulira insists the RPP is mobilising alternative resources and will officially begin its campaign next week. “We are campaigning, although at a slower pace. We shall launch officially next week and then embark on a three-week nonstop nationwide trail,” he said.
The RPP maintains that once it secures the necessary logistical support, it will run a robust campaign capable of challenging the established political players.
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