On Thursday, February 18, Ugandans went to the polls to elect a new president and Members of Parliament. The electoral process that started in November last year with nominations followed by robust campaigns was largely a peaceful affair. Though there were random cases of violence, we must commend Ugandans for political maturity during this period. While the campaign period was a fairly smooth process, we cannot say the same about Election Day, which turned out to be quite chaotic! The Electoral Commission (EC) muddled the election exercise, particularly in Kampala and Wakiso where some voters queued from as early as 6:30 am to exercise their constitutional right to choose their leaders. To their disappointment, many polling stations had not received voting materials by 3pm, just one hour to the close of the voting exercise. At some polling stations, voting had to be postponed to the next day. These are issues the country ought to openly discuss and resolve if we are to avoid such confusion in future electoral processes, including the local elections that are yet to be held. As media reports, statements from observers and the US Embassy indicate, there were numerous irregularities, including reports of pre-checked ballots that made this election fall short of basic electoral standards. As we congratulate President Museveni, who was last Saturday declared winner with a clear majority – 5,617,503 votes, a percentage of 60.7, we implore EC chairman Badru Kiggundu to address the critical concerns being raised by Ugandans regarding the integrity of the just-concluded electoral process. He owes it to Ugandans, some of whom were disenfranchised as a result of the delays and poor planning by the EC. Dr Kizza Besigye, the FDC presidential candidate who rejected the results highlighted, among other things, that “the electoral process was fraudulent, and the EC is incompetent and partisan”. As the closest challenger to Mr Museveni, Besigye garnered 3,270,290 votes, representing 35.37 per cent of the total votes cast – this significant number of Ugandans who voted for him seek answers to the queries he raises. Beyond Besigye’s concerns, the EU observer mission too issued a statement in which they stated in part: “…Regrettably the Electoral Commission failed to communicate effectively steps that would have been needed to overcome growing tensions caused by markedly delayed delivery of the voting material.” These concerns deserve the full attention of Kiggundu and his team. We encourage election losers and other Ugandans who feel aggrieved to seek redress through the courts of law. Let’s remain peaceful and unite to build our nation because we all remain Ugandans.
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