US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac has challenged youth and students in particular to take up the responsibility to drive change in the country. “The youth ought to value hard work, dedication and teamwork as partners to take responsibility of change in the nation. The future is not lost. It …
Read More »Biometric voter registration: Lessons from Ugandan polls
Uganda in Foreign Press : On February 18, I went to Uganda to observe the presidential and parliamentary elections there, writes Rindai Chipfunde Vava. This was the first election to be held using the biometric voter registration (BVR) system in Uganda. The first lesson I learnt was that BVR and the …
Read More »Election Petition lawyers agree to disagree
Presidential Petition PRE-TRIAL Agreed facts Fact 1: There was an election conducted by the EC on February 18 2016 Fact 2: On Feb 20, 2016, President Museveni was declared as validly elected President Fact 3: On Feb 20, 2016, the petitioner was declared to have polled 1.43% of the valid …
Read More »Museveni’s election strategy
President’s 30-year grip shaken as party primaries throw up new leaders President Yoweri Museveni is weaker. No he is stronger. Those are the contrasting views from the recent NRM party primaries and National Conference. And Museveni was out to make a statement about it when on Nov.1 he sprinted to …
Read More »Re-examining the impact of elections
By Andrew M. Mwenda Why elections in India select criminals for politicians but produce dedicated public servants in Norway and Sweden I have argued before that the very specific way democracy has evolved in Uganda is injurious to the common good. I use the word “very specific” because I am …
Read More »The dynamics of Uganda’s elections
By Andrew M. Mwenda How electoral competition eliminates public spirited candidates and increases the numbers of self-interested ones Around election-time,many candidates for office from across the political divide come to me for advice or assistance. We discuss practical political issues: How do I raise money for my campaign? Who are …
Read More »Mutebile’s revelations about 2011 elections
By Andrew M. Mwenda What the governor’s statement tells us about what will happen in 2016 Bank of Uganda (BoU) Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile recently revealed that during the 2011 presidential elections, the government approached the Central Bank for large sums of cash to finance a supplementary budget. BoU obliged. Mutebile …
Read More »Why free and fair elections are key
By Joseph Bossa Should all ills be laid at the feet of that one person simply for being president for the last 30 years? Fair-minded observers of, and participants in, Uganda politics agree on one thing: Uganda faces a crisis in all spheres—in its governance, infrastructure, employment, service delivery, sense …
Read More »2016 elections roadmap
By Ronald Musoke Opposition, civil society say roadmap is hollow without agreeable electoral law reforms When on May 7 the Electoral Commission (EC) released its roadmap to the 2016 general elections almost three years early, one would expect that the political class would applaud it for the effort. However, critics …
Read More »Kenya’s March elections delay switch to digital TV
By Julius Odeke With only 51 days to elections in Kenya, the high court has ordered that the date for the switch off of the analogue television signal be delayed, preferably until after the March poll. Justice Isaac Lenaola said an immediate move to digital would be unfair to Kenyans …
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