The People Power Movement under Robert Kyagulanyi which started as a resistance pressure group in Uganda recently merged with the National Reconciliation Development Party to form a political party named National Unity Platform (NUP) ready to contest in 2021 Presidential and General Elections.
However, there are heated discussions about the political party among the general public and UPC supporters in particular regarding NUP’s party colour, Red that has been UPC’s colour for a long time.
Earlier last year, UPC warned People Power on the use of colour red, threatening to sue Bobi Wine and his franchise if they continue using the party colour.
UPC says that it doesn’t expect any other political organisation to register red as one of its colours since its already reserved.
According, to many legal authorities then, People Power could use any colour of their choice since it was not a political party but rather a pressure group calling for change.
However, at the moment it has merged into a political party called NUP and it still uses Red as its party colour yet the Electoral Commission guidelines on political parties registrations states that, “Electoral Commission (EC) shall not register any party whose name, slogan, colour resembles that of a political party that has already been registered.”
Political Party colour clashes remind me of the Tororo leaders splitting over party colours in March 2008, Women’s Day. What irked the celebrants was the chief guest tent that bore the UPC Party colours of black blue and Red.
The NRM officials accused Tororo Woman MP Grace Oburu a key organiser of harbouring ill intentions against the ruling NRM party to which she subscribes as she sat in the tent. Therefore colour parties are vital in Ugandan Politics.
Recently, UPC’s Akena said that things come and go, his party was Red before People Power and will be red after People Power. Akena, a son of UPC founder and former President Dr. Milton Obote said he believes that it is a matter of time before Red returns to being identified with UPC again.
On the other hand, there are mixed reactions among the general public about the parties colour. Of course this is People Power supporters Vs UPC supporters and opinions from other people.
Some people link Bobi Wine’s use of colour to lack of experience arguing that an experienced political person would not use a colour of another registered party therefore he is not even ready for presidency. On the other hand others say that a colour doesn’t matter the fact that on voting, only party symbols are used and each party has it’s own symbol.
However UPC supporters strongly want NUP/People Power to get another colour as there are so many colours. Opinions from other people are that People Power using Red for its party is some sort of confusion that is not expected from a leader.
Point to ponder: If the Electoral Commission can not register a party with the same colour as of a registered party, how come NUP was announced as a political party? Could there be some blurry things that we know not of?
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