Luweero NGO forum resorts to social media campaign against electoral violence

Luweero, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Luweero Non-Governmental Organization-NGO Forum has launched a new campaign against election-related violence, ahead of next year’s polls. The Forum, which comprises 47 NGOs & Civil Society Organizations-CSOs has decried the recent violence in different parts of the country that was triggered by the arrest of the National Unity Platform-NUP presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine.  

The chaos broke out after hundreds of people took to the streets to protest the arrest of Kyagulanyi for alleged violation of the Standard Operating Procedures-SOPs put in place by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19. The two-day protests that started on November 18, 2020, saw more than 50 lose their lives and dozens of other nursing injuries.

In Luweero, protesters torched the Wobulenzi Grade One Magistrate’s Court and a government vehicle registration number UG 1313W and another motor vehicle Reg. No. UAJ 972X. The protesters also attacked public officers, including a Special Police Constable, Hannington Sekajugo, who was guarding the Court premises. 

Now to avoid a repeat of the chaos, Luweero NGO Forum convened a meeting at Naiga Hotel in Luweero Town Council on Tuesday to strategize how to avoid violence before, during & after the general elections. 

Steven Sewava Kasule, the Chairperson Luweero NGO Forum, says that although the freezing of their accounts by the Financial Intelligence Authority for alleged terror financing has negatively started impacting on their planned activities due to lack of funds, they have resolved to find other means of staying in touch with their targeted beneficiaries.    

He explains that they have taken to social media especially Whatsapp and Facebook among others, which don’t need colossal sums to operate and have proved effective.   

John Ssegujja, the Executive Director of Community Development and Child Welfare Initiatives-CODI, one of the organizations under Luweero NGO Forum, says they have embarked on opening Whatsapp groups to send out messages against electoral violence.  

The forum has also included a lot of stakeholders in their campaigns against electoral violence such as political actors & security agencies. Farooq Magezi, who represented the opposition Forum for Democratic Change-FDC party called for the production of messages denouncing intimidation.   

Luweero District Police Commander-DPC Abraham Tukundane called for cooperation among the different stakeholders to avoid electoral violence.

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