Together, we can turn election page for free and fair process

Faridah Lule

What you need to know:

  • Faridah Lule says voters have to understand the role of leaders they are voting into office.
     

Historically, Uganda is among the few African countries with a heritage of kingdoms and chieftainships characterised by centralised leadership systems.

Under this system, hereditary leaders administered their societies through institutionalised councils, for example, the Lukiiko 9parliament)in Buganda Kingdom, or the Orukurato in Bunyoro and Tooro kingdoms (assemblies that had representatives drawn from each clan and other royal appointees), and the Council of Elders in other pre-colonial communities. 

The practice of leaders assuming office through elections in Uganda can be traced to pre-Independence period when the British colonial government made a statute that allowed Africans to participate in local elections starting with the Legislative Council (Legco), which was the precursor to Uganda’s Independence in 1962.

In March 1961, the colonial government organised direct elections, in which two political parties, Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) contested. 

Buganda Kingdom boycotted the elections, and insisted on its demand to have its representatives elected by the Lukiiko, its local legislative assembly. DP won the elections with 43 seats, while UPC got 37 seats; hence DP formed the first ever internal self-government, headed by chief minister Benedict Kiwanuka.

Parliament enacted the Electoral Commission Act in May 1997, hence establishing a permanent and independent election management body to organise, conduct and supervise elections and referenda. 

This marked a significant achievement for the revival of democratic governance in Uganda. 

To date, we have had elections every after five years, but all have been challenged either in court or in the bush, and for which reasons, the unlevelled playing field, unfairness of the process to begin with the Voters’ Register, insufficient voter education, late enactment of laws, and not giving space to those in opposition. 

The question is, have we, as a country, tried to address the issues that have affected the past elections before going into another, or rubbishing  is the rule of the day? The back and forth in this electoral exercise tells it all that we are bound to face a more unfair process than before, despite the numbers of voters increasing.

It will all start with having an Independent Electoral Commission in place without the influence of the President, who is always a candidate and at the same time the appointing authority. The security agencies have to stick to their role of maintaining peace, keeping law and order and not taking partisan decisions in implementing the law. 

The voters have to understand the role of leaders they are voting for, parties should have fair processes in their internal activities, having consistent voter education and civic education is key. Harmonising laws and closing the gaps do not harm the process. 

In fact, one would wonder why Uganda is spending billions of money in a process which is not free and fair from the onset.

Take examples of stakeholders in the process where the voters are not participants, hence do not understand it because of the new standard operating procedures, which have not been popularised enough. 

Leaders who will be voted in office are not focusing on issues affecting the communities, it’s the money factor that is driving the process, civil society organisations are fighting each other day in day out, Parliament is enacting laws in the middle of the game, security has not changed at all, in fact this time around its going to be worse. 

Political parties have not been spared either as they are bedevilled by infighting. 

Ms Lule is an analyst elections & learning at Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda(CCEDU). [email protected]