The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) has temporarily barred the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (RPP) from registering or gazetting the Wiper Democratic Movement under the name The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA).
The interim orders were issued after the Tribunal chairperson Innocent Muganda certified as urgent an application filed by Allan Jayuga Akivaga under a certificate of urgency. The orders prohibit the Registrar of Political Parties, its officers, employees and agents from approving, registering, gazetting or taking further administrative steps towards the proposed name change pending the hearing and determination of Akivaga’s application.
In his ruling, Muganda directed that the registration process be halted in relation to the disputed reservation of the name made on July 20, 2026. “An interim order be issued restraining RPP, whether by itself, its officers, servants or agents, from approving, gazetting, registering or taking further administrative steps towards the registration of the Wiper Democratic Movement under the name ‘The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA)’ on the basis of the impugned reservation of July 20, 2026,” Muganda ordered.
The tribunal’s intervention temporarily freezes the proposed registration as the parties prepare to present their arguments over the contested name. The tribunal has directed Akivaga to serve the appeal and his notice of motion application, dated October 8, 2026, on the Registrar of Political Parties and the Wiper Democratic Movement by Wednesday, October 14.
Both the registrar’s office and Wiper have been given seven days from the date of service to file and serve their responses to the application and appeal. Akivaga has also been granted leave to file a supplementary affidavit, if necessary, within four days of being served with the responses.
The directions are intended to facilitate the exchange of pleadings before the matter proceeds for further consideration by the tribunal.
The case arises from a dispute over the reservation of the name The Ukombozi Alliance, which Wiper Democratic Movement seeks to adopt. Akivaga has challenged the reservation made on July 20, 2026, prompting the application for urgent intervention by the tribunal.
The interim orders do not constitute a final determination of the dispute or permanently bar Wiper from pursuing the proposed name. Instead, they prevent further administrative action on the registration process while the tribunal considers the application. The registrar and Wiper are expected to respond to the claims before the tribunal determines the next course of action.
The matter will be mentioned on October 29, 2026, at 2.30pm to confirm compliance with the tribunal’s directions and for further orders.
