IRI Office Opens to Work with New Parties

March 12, 2004

This week marks the official opening of the Africa Division’s 7th field office. As a satellite branch of the Nairobi office, IRI’s Kampala, Uganda office will provide the space necessary for launching a program to strengthen political pluralism. The Institute’s new country coordinator comes to IRI with a wealth of experience in Uganda and democracy programming.

Uganda has had a “no-party” system since 1986, where a national “movement” has led the government, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). President Museveni’s January 2003 announcement recommending the adoption of multiparty politics has opened the door for the formalization of political parties. IRI is now on the ground to work with the “proto-parties” and politically active civic groups during this complicated transition. Given the profound historical failure of political parties in Uganda, the inclusion of civic groups is a conscious decision by IRI to grow a new generation of political leadership.

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