When Forum for Democratic Change President Kizza Besigye was nominated in absentia last week, some party officials criticised the party for allegedly relying on foreign funding.

Besigye was away on a mobilisation tour in Europe.

But FDC party Spokesman Wafula Oguttu told The Independent that government officials who condemn the opposition for receiving foreign funding are forgetting that they also solicit and receive funds from donors.

He said between 60-70 per cent financing to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party was previously contributed by foreign donors.

“So the talk of opposition depending partly on foreign financing as a tool of demeaning their credibility is absurd, and bordering on double standards. Today, the NRM is 30 per cent funded by foreigners, so are they puppets of the donors?”

Wafula said that in its activities, the FDC is funded by its members. “We spend billions as members of the party. Most money running the party is from membership. We don’t get more than Shs 50 million shillings from foreigners.”

Another opposition stalwart Kalinge Nyago of the JEEMA party said donors are supporting out of frustration.

“The Christian International Democratic Centre of Sweden has come to support the IPC (the party alliance which FDC is a signatory to) because they invested heavily in Museveni who  has disappointed them and they feel they must sort him out and we can’t fail to exploit that.”

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