CSOs kicks off consultations on constitution and electoral reforms in Tooro region
Electoral Commission Officer, Mr Robert Beine, addressing stakeholders from Tooro region during consultation meeting in fort portal in February. Photo by ALEX ASHABA.
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The CSO members in the Tooro region under their umbrella body, Kabarole NGO/CBO Association (KANCA), said the proposed reforms will also include those from 14 other regions and presented to parliament for consideration
The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Tooro Sub-region in partnership with the Uganda National NGO forum have kicked off consultations with stakeholders on constitutional and electoral reforms to allow smooth parliamentary scrutiny before the 2026 general election.
The CSO members in the Tooro region under their umbrella body, Kabarole NGO/CBO Association (KANCA), said the proposed reforms will also include those from 14 other regions and presented to parliament for consideration.
Mr Chris Nkwasiibwe from the Uganda National NGO Forum said that consultations across all regions in the country have started noting that they will traverse over 50 districts.
“After getting different proposals on reforms from stakeholders, we shall start engaging the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Parliament, and Electoral Commission to ensure that reforms are enacted by parliament,” he said on Friday during consultation in Fort Portal city.
One of the reforms suggested so far raised by stakeholders for electoral reforms is appointing the chairperson of the Electoral Commission should be a public process and not presidential.
Rev Kintu Willy Muhanga, proposed that they should reinstate term limits in the constitution.
“To have leveled ground during general elections, we all incumbent leaders including the president need to hand over their office for about six months,” he suggested before noting that we need to have enough civic and voter education for voters.
The Kabarole district chairman, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, suggested that in the forthcoming elections, voting for the president should come last because in previous elections there has been a low turn-up in elections for local government.
The submitted proposed reforms from different regions will be incorporated into one bill and tabled before the 2026 general elections are held. Mr Nkwasiibwe is optimistic that by 2024 they will have been considered by parliament.
The Central and Midwestern Electoral Commission Officer, Mr Robert Beine, said they have done several benchmarking in other countries that have proposed electoral reforms.
He further noted that among the reforms to be submitted change from 48 to 72 hours for the declaration of results from the date of polling, raising the bar on academic qualifications for polling officials, especially for presiding officers.
Mr Beine said they were also proposing to raise the bar on academic qualification for local government councilors.
Other proposed reforms include changing the polling station layout for areas that lack open ground to accommodate simple set-up, especially in urban areas, redesigning the declaration result forms, and exploring alternative ways of collecting data on the participation of voters in elections.
Inclusion of Ugandans in the diaspora to access the right to vote per article 59 of the constitution, granting prison inmates the right to vote, granting special workers and professional workers like EC staff, security personnel, and doctors early voting.
