In Uganda, the phenomenon of politicians switching parties – often for personal gain rather than principle – has become a concerning trend, echoing a history that dates back to the late 1950s. From the splintering of the Uganda National Congress (UNC) to today’s opportunistic floor-crossing, this “disease” threatens the very foundations of pluralism and democracy.

Roots of political defections

Early faultlines were witnessed in 1952-1960. The Uganda National Union started by Ignatius Musaazi, was the first political party in British colonial Uganda – initially to advance cooperative and farmers’ interests. People like Yekosofati Anito Engur, Kalekezi and Abu Mayanja were members.

Apollo Milton Obote, whom some writers take as the first real nationalist in Uganda joined them later. He was soon elected to the office of president of the UNC but Musaazi was not pleased that the man from the north was taking over from him yet he was the one who started the party

Uganda National Union (UNC) fractured after Milton Obote’s election as president. There was a Musaazi faction and an Obote faction. Soon they could not coexist under one roof. Obote took his faction away and merged it with William Wickliffe Kanunuura Rwetsiba’s Uganda Peoples Union (UPU) to form the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), leaving UNC vulnerable and ethnically confined. Musaazi’s faction disintegrated because it soon leaned towards Buganda feudal or neo-traditional interests. Although some people regard Musaazi as a nationalist, he failed to be one.

Other parties like the Democratic Party (DP) of Benedicto Kiwanuka, Sepiriya Kisawuzi Masembe Kabali’s Kabaka Yekka (KY) and Apollo Kironde’s United National Party (UNP) emerged, with frequent mergers and crossovers – often driven by power rather than ideology.

Turning point

Basil Kizza Batatingaya, DP’s opposition leader in parliament, defected to UPC on December 31, 1964, and was subsequently appointed minister of internal affairs. Others followed, including: James Ochola (MP for South East Bukedi); Stanslaus Okurut (MP for South Teso); M.K. Patel (MP for Jinja South); Joseph Magara (MP for South West Bunyoro) and Francis Mugeni (MP for South Bukedi). These were joined on June 22, 1966 by David Barisigara (MP for Kigezi West) because Bataringaya was the first to cross the floor of parliament and he is remembered as the father of crossovers in post-independence Uganda.

Trend Continues

After the 1980 elections, most DP MPs from Busoga joined UPC, including:

• Dr. E. G. N. Muzira, MP Jinja East
• Dr. D.K. Kazungu, MP Kamuli Central
• Eng. M.P. Batumbya, MP Kamuli West
• D.J.K. Nabeta, MP Iganga South West
• J.K. Mpaulo, MP Kamuli East

Only Prof Yoweri Kyesimira (MP Iganga Central) and Paul Waibale (MP Jinja North West) resisted, with both facing jail over alleged ties to Museveni’s bush war. Waibale later joined UPC.

Defections under Museveni motivated by power and prosperity: 1986-present

There have been many prominent shifts during NRM rule. The most memorable are probably those of Anne Anita Among and Thomas Tayebwa, who were former members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) that crossed to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and rose to become Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, respectively. Their transitions have been linked to increased political influence and wealth.

 Many other MPs have switched to NRM, often amid allegations of being lured by money, jobs or government positions, undermining opposition parties and fuelling perceptions of transactional politics.

Undermining pluralism

• Transactional politics over principles: Crossovers weaken parties, blur ideological lines and fuel voter apathy. They shift focus from policy debates to individual opportunism, undermining checks and balances essential for democracy.
• Threat to democracy: Pluralism thrives on diverse, principled voices. Uganda’s “crossover disease” risks hyper-pluralism – a fragmented, interest-driven politics that side-lines the electorate’s will and leads to apathy and disillusionment among the voters.

Solutions for Uganda’s pluralism

Let me suggest some solutions to Uganda’s pluralism, which is in danger of being replaced. Y single party rule, since President Tibuhaburwa Museveni declared during his swearing in for a fifth term as President of Uganda that he would finish a parties by 2020. It may not have happened because he is not God whose plans never fail.

Legislate against floor-crossing:

Enact laws that penalise MPs who switch parties mid-term without valid reasons (e.g., losing their seat or a cooling-off period).

South Africa’s laws restrict floor-crossing without losing seats, although enforcement remains a challenge.

Strengthen party discipline and ideologies

• Encourage parties to define clear, issue-based platforms. Members switching allegiance to their parties must justify alignment with these values.
• Internal Democracy: Elect leaders transparently, reducing patronage-driven moves.

Enhance transparency and accountability:

• Mandate public disclosure of reasons for switching, with parliamentary oversight. Publish financial benefits tied to crossovers.
• Anti-corruption measures: Investigate suspicious wealth accumulation post-switch.

Empower voters and civil society:

• Civic Education: Campaigns on informed voting, holding MPs accountable via petitions or recalls.
• Support media and watchdogs: Protect press freedom to expose unprincipled shifts.

Review electoral system incentives:

• Consider proportional representation to reduce winner-takes-all pressures. Explore ranked-choice voting to prioritise voter mandate over party hopping.
• Public Funding for Parties: Tie funds to adherence to ethical standards, reducing reliance on patronage.

Promote political ethics and culture shift:

• Codes of conduct: Enforce party and parliamentary codes emphasizing loyalty to constituents over personal gain.
• Leadership by Example: Encourage principled politicians to champion reforms.

For God and my country.

• A Tell report / By Oweyegha-Afunaduula / Environmental Historian and Conservationist Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis (CCTAA), Seeta, Mukono, Uganda.

About the Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis (CCTAA)

The CCTAA was innovated by Hyuha Mukwanason, Oweyegha-Afunaduula and Mahir Balunywa in 2019 to the rising decline in the capacity of graduates in Uganda and beyond to engage in critical thinking and reason coherently besides excellence in academics and academic production. The three scholars were convinced that after academic achievement the world outside the ivory tower needed graduates that can think critically and reason coherently towards making society and the environment better for human gratification. They reasoned between themselves and reached the conclusion that disciplinary education did not only narrow the thinking and reasoning of those exposed to it but restricted the opportunity to excel in critical thinking and reasoning, which are the ultimate aim of education. They were dismayed by the truism that the products of disciplinary education find it difficult to tick outside the boundaries of their disciplines; that when they provide solutions to problems that do not recognise the artificial boundaries between knowledges, their solutions become the new problems. They decided that the answer was a new and different medium of learning and innovating, which they characterised as “The Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis” (CCTAA).