Let’s audit poll results, put allegations to rest

On January 14, the country went to the polls where presidential and parliamentary elections were held. Up to February 3, the Electoral Commission will still be conducting elections of different interest groups. While the President in his acceptance speech on January 16 noted that this could have been the most cheat-free election, indications on ground seem to show the contrary. 

Various clips, videos and photographs that have been circulating on social media show graphic cases of election malpractice in various parts of the country, and in some instances, depicting some members of the security forces supervising alleged illegal ballot ticking and stuffing. A minister’s guards have been arrested on allegations of putting at gunpoint police officers providing security to polling assistants before taking away their guns and ballot boxes they were protecting at Kyampisi Sub-county in Mukono District on January 14.

These incidents, if proved to have taken place during this general election, will need to be scrutinised thoroughly and when found true, the culprits should be prosecuted for the good of the vote. This general election was highly billed, the stakes were very high for all the stakeholders, with emotions running high and many times overriding reason and common sense. Given the political puzzle in the country, inter alia, the allegations of vote rigging at almost all levels of the elections, nerves need to be calmed and this can only happen when all sides are satisfied with the outcome, whatever it is. 

The President-elect, Yoweri Museveni already hinted on conducting an election audit, an idea that diplomats accredited to Uganda had earlier reiterated. The glaring scenes where people are purportedly seen involving themselves in the election malpractice was an embarrassment and a dent in our democracy, which only helped to disenfranchise genuine voters who braved the heat and rain in an attempt to cast their ballot, only for a few unscrupulous people to go behind the process and indulge in actions that placed the electoral process in disrespect and casting doubt on the outcome of the electoral process. We should not allow a few individuals or cartels to spoil a-would have been credible election. 

The Electoral Commission should display and provide declaration forms on their portal indicating how polling stations voted for purposes of accountability and transparency which is a sine qua non for authenticity of the election. To maintain the integrity of this election, let’s cast out all the little doubts, go back to the drawing table and ask ourselves where the rain started beating us from so that we seal the gaps for a better election next time, as we seek to unite the country, keep it all inclusive and desist from making ethnic innuendos that are only divisive and aid to stoke hatred and further divide the country along ethnic lines.