By Oweyegha-Afunaduula
The only extremely peaceful general elections that I ever observed in Uganda were those organised by the British Colonial Government in April 1962.
I was in Ikumbya Primary School in present-day Luuka District.In his effort to grow and develop my political attitudes my father, Charles Afunaduula Ovuma Ngobi Isabirye, decided that I should have an early impression of how peaceful elections are organized.
He took me to different polling stations in the then Luuka County of Busoga. What I immediately saw was that at every polling station a makeshift structure was erected in which the ballot box was placed.
The polling agent had a chair on which he sat, and a book of ballot papers and another of people who were to vote. There was one policeman to keep law and order.
I now remember that the policeman was a local administration policeman. The policeman searched the voter (s) to ensure they carried only the ballot paper given to them by the polling agent.
Whoever finished voting either stayed around or left to go and preoccupy himself or herself with other engagement. There was no thought of votes being reshuffles or pre-ticked ballot papers being stuffed in the ballot boxes. Every voter went into the makeshift structure alone and came out empty handed after voting.
The parties that were competing in the elections were the Democratic Party and the Uganda Peoples Congress. Members of the parties interacted well amongst themselves. The conclusion I made in my growing mind was that elections were supposed to be non-violent and peaceful. I grew up thinking that all future elections would be like those would be non-violent and peaceful.
The only elections I observed again were those organized by the National Resistance Movement government since 1996. I was not there when the elections were organised by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF).
So the only elections I know are those of 1962 and 1996 to the present. One characteristic and recurrent feature of NRM organised is state-inspired violence.
Virtually all the elections, even by-elections have been violent. The most state-inspired violence in a by-election was that organised by NRM in North Kawempe Constituency.
Although I did not hear of deaths, which was the case in my Luuka District in 2020, when National Unity Platform (NUP) Presidential candidate, Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, was prevented from campaigning by State-inspired violence. This resulted in numerous people being killed, maimed and kidnapped. Many families claim they have not seen their people since then.
Uganda is being prepared for the 2026 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, simultaneously with the idea of General Muhoozi Kainerugaba succeeding his father in monarchical fashion.
The cardinal question is: Will the 2026 elections take place,and will they be as violent or more violent than the North Kawempe by-election?
A parallel question is: What does it mean pushing a succession agenda simultaneously with organising elections?
For God and My Country
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