By Andrew Victor Mawanda Naimanye
The Chairman of The Fundraising Committee of The National Unity Platform (NUP), Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga, held a comprehensive review of its national fundraising campaign, showcasing the party's remarkable progress in mobilising financial support for the upcoming 2026 general elections.
Balimwezo Nsubuga, made the remarks during the award ceremony for the second cohort of comrades who successfully completed Level 1 at the school of leadership at the party's headquarters in Makerere-Kavule.
"On the seventh day of July, we launched our first national fundraising drive for the Next Generation campaign," Balimwezo stated.
“On day one alone, we collected Shillings 135,796,000 in cash, 21,000,000 Ugandan Shillings in checks, Shillings 869,530,000 in pledges amounting to a great total of Shillings 1,026,327,000,” Balimwezo said
“On day two we received Shillings 21,196,000 in cash, Shillings 19,700,000 through mobile money collections amounting to a grand total of
shillings 40,896,000,” Balimwezo added.
The party aims to raise 9 billion Ugandan Shillings to spearhead their campaigns ahead of the 2026 General Presidental and Parliamentary elections.
"This is not just about raising funds," Balimwezo emphasised, "but about demonstrating the unity and commitment of Ugandans from all walks of life. From market vendors to professionals, from youth to the elderly, we are seeing a collective movement for change."
"The road ahead is long and requires greater unity and sacrifice," Balimwezo said. "What we've seen is just the beginning. Victory is within reach, and we must keep the fire burning."
The National Unity Platform Treasurer, Benjamin Katana, highlighted that in the 2021 General Elections NRM’s Candidate Museveni spent approximately 900 billion shillings, with NUP’s target just 1% of that amount.
He stressed that their fundraising model fundamentally differs from the NRM’s methods, explicitly rejecting vote-buying and corruption addressing the concerns from many that NUP’s target of Shillings 9 billion is low.
"Our model of politics is different, because ours does not involve bribery, does not involve buying votes," Katana declared.
"Even with the minimum, if we get 9 billion, we'll be able to run a campaign like never before as our funds will be used for rightful purposes such as buying fuel and designing posters,” Katana added.
The review serves as a testament to the National Unity Platform's growing momentum and its ability to mobilize support across Uganda. As the party looks towards the 2026 elections, this fundraising campaign represents a significant milestone in its political journey.
The campaign continues, with the party remaining committed to its vision of political transformation and grassroots empowerment.
