Former presidential candidate Dr. Abed Bwanika has proposed amendments to Uganda’s electoral process that would require aspiring presidential candidates to pay a substantial fee before receiving nomination forms.
Speaking on NBS TV, Dr. Bwanika argued that the presidency should be treated with seriousness, not as an experiment. He suggested that any individual seeking nomination should first demonstrate financial capacity by paying at least UGX 50 million.
“We want to introduce amendments requiring anyone seeking presidential nomination forms to first make a payment before receiving them. Contesting for the presidency should be treated as a serious matter,” Bwanika said.
“If you can’t raise UGX 50 million, how can you aspire to be president of Uganda and manage a national budget of over UGX 70 trillion?” he asked.
His comments come at a time when Uganda continues to see a surge in the number of presidential aspirants, many of whom critics say enter the race without clear structures or realistic chances of success.
By Friday last week, 162 aspirants had picked nomination forms and yet more are expected in the next couple of weeks.
Bwanika, who has himself contested for the presidency multiple times, believes that introducing a financial requirement would filter out unserious contenders and streamline the electoral process.
The proposal is already stirring debate among political observers and rights advocates. While some argue it could reduce the number of ‘jokers’ in the race, others warn it risks shutting out capable leaders from humble backgrounds.