Somali President H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud congratulates President Museveni

Somali President Museveni

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, HE Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has extended a congratulation message to HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on his re-election as the President of the Republic of Uganda (Sonna, 21.02.2016).

“I am greatly pleased to seize this great opportunity to extend my warmest congratulations and wish you every success in the great task of taking Uganda to greater heights in terms of stability, national unity , prosperity and maintaining the position of Uganda in Africa as an example of development and contributing in peace building efforts in the continent’’ said the President (Sonna, 21.02.2016).

Reference:

Somali National News Agency – ‘Somali President extends congratulation to Uganda’s Museveni for his re-election victory’ (21.02.2016) link: http://sonna.com.so/en/2016/02/21/somali-president-extends-congratulatory-message-to-ugandas-president-museveni-for-his-re-election-victory/

Statement by ODM Youth on Uganda Elections (21.02.2016)

ODM

We want to congratulate the gallant people of Uganda for coming out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right to vote in the just concluded elections.

You braved the hot sun, persevered in the long queues and triumphed over police brutality and harassment to ensure that you answered to the greater call of democracy.

To the candidates who participated in the elections, you fought a good fight. We acknowledge your contribution to the democratic process and your determination to make Uganda a better place.

Nevertheless, we take note that the integrity of the election results has been contested. As stated by election observer missions, the “elections weren’t free and fair” due to several incidences of irregularities and election malpractices.

But we urge the Ugandan people never to give up. The fight for change and democracy is never an event but a process. The journey may be long and torturous but it must be won someday. We begin to fail only when we give up.

We’ve also taken note of a statement swiftly issued by our president, Mr. Kenyatta, yesterday, purporting to congratulate Mr. Museveni, who is his personal friend and business partner, for “winning” the elections.

We want to clarify that the statement is his personal note to Mr. Museveni, it doesn’t in any way reflect the views of the majority of sober Kenyans.

For your information, Mr. Kenyatta is another illegitimate and compromised president who rose to power after Ugandan judges misadvised Kenyan judges to declare him president.

On very few occasions do we take him seriously as a people as his penchant for putting personal and family business interests above those of our country is a very well known fact.

As you face the realities of the future and challenges ahead, we’ll keep you in our prayers and continue to support your fight for a greater democratic space in your country.

May God bless you.

Thank you.

Release of AUEOM Preliminary Findings of the 18th February 2016 General Elections in the Republic of Uganda (20.02.2016)

NTV 20.02.2016

Kampala, 20 February 2016

“The AUEOM notes that the elections in Uganda were largely peaceful, but not without shortcomings.”

The African Union Commission deployed a Short Term Election Observation Mission to the 18 February 2016 General Elections in the Republic of Uganda. The Mission comprised 40 Short Term Observers from several African countries drawn from the African Union Permanent Representatives’ Committee, the Pan-African Parliament, Election Management Bodies and Civil Society Organizations.
The AUEOM assessed the General Elections in Uganda based on the relevant African Union instruments, namely; the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the 2002 OAU/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa; the 2002 AU Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions; and the legal framework governing the conduct of elections in Uganda. This statement presents the Mission’s preliminary findings covering pre-voting, voting, counting and tallying processes up to 18 February 2016. The African Union will, however, continue to observe the post-electoral developments and release a final report within the next three months.

Pre-election environment
The AUEOM noted that the legal framework for elections in Uganda provides for, and guarantees the holding of regular elections in conformity with regional and international frameworks. This framework comprises the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, the Electoral Commission Amendment Act 2015; the Presidential Elections Amendment Act 2015; the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Act 2015; and the Political Parties and Organisations Act 2005.
The AUEOM observed that there is no legal framework for regulating political party campaign financing. The Mission noted that the law expressly prohibits the use of Government resources for campaigning by all candidates and parties, except for the President, as stated in Article 27.1 of the Presidential Elections Act. Stakeholders reported that there has been unprecedented increase in campaign spending.
The AUEOM learned that in 2015 Uganda introduced a National Identity Card System, which required the conduct of a mass biometric registration of citizens aged 16 years and above. The EC extracted information of all registered citizens who were 18 years and above to compile a National Voters’ Register. The AUEOM noted that at the end of the National Voter Registration exercise, there were 15, 277,198 registered voters. This Voters’ Register was continuously updated until 11 May 2015 when the process was concluded in line with the electoral calendar.

The AUEOM noted that, whereas the use of data from the National Register ensured that all citizens from 18 years by the end of the mass registration exercise were registered; interlocutors expressed concern that the 11 May 2015 deadline for updating the Voters Roll left many potential voters who turned 18 years after that date, disenfranchised. The EC collaborated with civil society organizations (CSOs) in conducting voter education. However, the accredited CSOs raised concerns that their efforts were constrained by late provision of materials by the EC. In addition, voter education was generally perceived to be inadequate.

NTV Uganda Presidential Debate 2016

The AUEOM noted that for the first time, two presidential debates were held in Kampala and broadcasted live on television and radio. All 8 presidential candidates were invited to reach out to voters using this platform.

The AUEOM observed that despite the unprecedented political and electoral competition, campaigns were generally conducted within the legal framework. However, the Mission noted the 15 February 2016 incident in Kampala, which led to the arrest of an opposition leader, causing anxiety among opposition supporters. The police informed the Mission that the arrested leader and his party had defied the prescribed campaign route.

VPN 18.02.2016 P2

The Mission noted that women were nominated to run as party and independent candidates in various constituencies and that there was one female Presidential candidate. In addition, women contested for the 112 parliamentary seats specially created for them. The Mission noted the participation of youth in the elections both as candidates and in the campaigns. However, there were concerns raised by some stakeholders of the youth being used by political parties to intimidate and disrupt election campaign rallies of their opponents. The AUEOM noted that besides involvement in voter education initiatives CSOs were involved in domestic observation. Thousands of domestic observers were deployed throughout the country, especially in areas considered as hotspots. The AUEOM noted that in compliance with the legal provisions, the media covered political parties and candidates’ manifestos and campaigns. However, stakeholders felt that the state media provided more coverage to the incumbent president and his party, at the expense of the opposition. It was further reported that private media provided a fairly balanced reporting on all parties and candidates. Besides the mainstream print and electronic media, campaigning was carried out on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp. The AUEOM noted general concerns following the shutdown of social media platforms, by the Uganda Communication Commission from Election Day citing security concerns. The AUEOM noted that there was a generally calm and peaceful pre-election environment with no major security incidents reported.

The AUEOM noted concerns raised by interlocutors with regard to the recruitment, training and deployment of community policing units called Crime Preventers, which they alleged were misused to intimidate opposition parties. The AUEOM was however informed by the police that these were purely crime prevention units at community level with no arresting powers.

The AUEOM noted the lack of trust in security agencies by some opposition parties, which were reported to have created counter units.

Election Day

On Election Day, the teams visited 148 polling stations comprising 60% urban and 40% rural where they observed opening, voting, closing and counting processes. The observers used tablets to capture and transmit real-time observation data to the Mission Command Centre. The AUEOM teams observed opening procedures countrywide and noted that the environment outside these centers was peaceful.
Delays in opening time by up to 4 hours were reported in a number of polling stations. The delays were attributed to late distribution of polling materials. Consequently, opening procedures pertaining to sealing of ballot boxes, identification and verification of voters were not fully adhered to in some cases.
As per the laid down procedure, voters were asked for identification and their names checked against the register before voting. Only a few were turned away because they did not have the required identification, were not on the voters’ register, were at the wrong polling station or were rejected by the Biometric Voter Verification Kit.
With regards to the Biometric Voter Verification Kits, which were introduced for the first time, the AUEOM observed that in some polling stations, the kits worked well, hence hastening the verification process; while in some stations, they were not used because they were either not working, or the election personnel did not have access pass codes.
As an additional identification and voting facilitation measure, voter identification slips were used to direct voters to the right voting station within a voting center. Voter processing times were reasonable and mostly ranged from no more than 3 minutes in 54% of the polling stations and between 3-6 minutes in 39% of the polling station stations observed.
The AUEOM observer teams observed closing procedures at 4:00pm and beyond in areas where polling was extended because of late opening.
Closing and counting procedures were not strictly adhered to in all polling stations visited. For example, there were instances where polling officials and agents did not reconcile the number of registered voters with the number of people who actually voted. In a majority of polling stations observed, party/ candidate agents were furnished with a copy of the results form by the presiding officer.

Kaabong 18.02.2016

Conclusion

The AUEOM congratulates the people of Uganda for turning up in large numbers to perform their civic duty.

While we note that the election process is ongoing, the AUEOM’s overall assessment of the 2016 General Elections thus far, is that they were largely peaceful, but not without shortcomings; in particular, the late delivery of election materials. The late delivery led to more than 4 hours of delays in the opening of polling stations. The Mission wishes to underscore that this impacted on the overall conduct of polling day operations, and caused anxiety and tension among the voters and polling officials, which could have been avoided.

Based on its preliminary findings, the AUEOM makes the following recommendations: The AUEOM encourages the Electoral Commission to:
• Adhere to the prescribed 48 hour time frame for delivery of materials as provided in the Electoral Act, when distributing election materials to polling stations;
• Conduct continuous voter education and voter registration;
• Strengthen training for polling personnel to avoid inconsistencies in implementation of polling procedures;
• Consider using indoor polling in order to create order around the stations and to protect polling officials, voters and materials from weather elements; and • Consider adopting voting booths that ensure the secrecy of the ballot.

The AUEOM recommends that the Government provide adequate resources to the Electoral Commission to conduct continuous voter registration and voter education and enable timely procurement of election materials.

To Parliament, the AUEOM recommends that it:
• Develops legislation to regulate political party and campaign finance; and
• Concludes electoral reforms at least a year before elections to allow for timely preparation and implementation.

The AUEOM encourages the public broadcaster to provide equitable coverage to all candidates.

The AUEOM recommends that Political Parties avoid the usage of inflammatory language during campaigns and inciting supporters.

Lastly, the AUEOM recommends that the Police enforce the law equally on all parties and candidates, and desist from heavy handedness when dealing with the public, political parties and candidates.

The AUEOM will continue to observe the tallying and other post-election developments and issue a comprehensive report three months after the announcement of the election results.

Her Ladyship Justice Sophia Akuffo
Head of the African Union Election Observer Mission

COMESA wraps up Mission in Uganda – commends voters for ordely conduct

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Kampala, Saturday, 20 February 2016: COMESA Election Observer team to Uganda has completed its mission and commended voters for turning up in large numbers to exercise their constitutional right of choosing their leaders in the February 18, 2016 elections.

In a joint press briefing with the East African Community (EAC) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) election observer missions, Leader of COMESA Mission Ambassador Ashraf Gamal Rashed hailed the massive turnout in casting the ballots, and the orderly manner in which voters conducted themselves.

“The polling process was generally free, peaceful and transparent despite the logistical challenges that delayed the opening of polling stations,” Ambassador Rashed said.

The Mission made several recommendations to enhance the conduct of future electoral processes in Uganda. Among them is the need for the Electoral Commission to ensure better organization with regards to logistics such as marking of polling stations, preparation, distribution and delivery of polling materials.

It emphasized the need for a robust communication strategy that will ensure information is relayed in a timely manner from the EC to the polling stations to avoid misinterpretations and confusion that might arise due to delays.

“While noting the progress made to consolidate multi-party democracy, there is need for increased dialogue among political parties and other stakeholders to address any challenges and enhance the credibility of the electoral process and the acceptance of all parties of its outcome,” the mission leader said.

Further, he stated that the credibility and impartiality of the EC should always be maintained and urged the government to adequately provide funding should for the EC to enable it to execute its mandate effectively.

Amb. Rashed encouraged the citizens of Uganda to remain calm and address any electoral disputes that may arise through the proper legal channels.

Preliminary Statement: East African Community Election Observation Mission to the General Election of the Republic of Uganda held on the 18th February 2016 (20.02.2016)

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Post-Election Statement by the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda (20.02.2016)

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Go Forward: Post-Election Statement (20.02.2016)

Go Forward Statement 20.02.2016

Interim Statement of the Commonwealth Observer Group: On the Ugandan General Election 2016 (20.02.2016)

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FDC – Press Statement: Democracy on Trial – The Results of the Presidential Elections must be rejected (20.02.2016)

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Uganda Elections unfolds; Dr. Kizza Besigye under house arrest; Erias Lukwago arrested; NRM Tally Center legally address the press(?)

Kampala 20.02.2016

The third day and the polls continue to dropped while ballot boxes comes to surface as we know the police officers took them away on the polling stations. There has now been found at NRM candidates as Hon. Oulanyah of Omoro had boxes hidden, and Police had boxes containing the votes for Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Kasangati 20.02.2016

The Dr. Kizza Besigye story continues:

As the third day and the counting continues. Dr. Kizza Besigye is after being arrested twice, is now put under house-arrest in his home in Kasangati in Wakiso District, after being taken by force yesterday from the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi.and later detained at Nagalama; and at late night driven home by Police, even if the FDC men wanted to make sure that Ingrid Turinwa was also safe, but the Police whisked away the men and sent them home. That was not only Besigye, but also Gen. Mugisha Munut and Biriggwa Wasswa.

Red Pepper writes:
“DEVELOPING STORY: Police has blocked all roads leading to the home of Kizza Besigye in Kasangati. No person is allowed to enter or leave his home. Journalists have been turned away” (Red Pepper, 20.02.2016).

Daily Monitor writes:
“A heavily armed police garrison at Dr. Besigye’s home blocks our editor, Bagyenzire Atuhaire Alex from accessing the home of the FDC presidential flag bearer; they won’t take questions on who has ordered them to block visitors to Dr. Besigye’s private home. Besigye is under siege, he can’t leave home. All entrances are blocked by police” (Daily Monitor, 20.02.2016)

As well as journalists not allowed at the gate of his home, his lawyers Daudi Mpanga and Ernest Kalibbala have been turned away at the gate. The FDC Campaign has also not been allowed to enter his home or be there together with Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Dr. Kizza Besigye was taken home by the Police without a belt, phone or money. Besigye does not have a phone for the moment, the internet in the home is jammed by the police. This is reportes of this from Winnie Byanyima the wife of Besigye .

The amount of Police in the surrounding areas:
“1200 policemen and military have been deployed on all major roads that lead to Besigye’s home in Kasangati” (Kampala FM, 20.02.2016).

Muntu 20.02.2016 Kasangati

As Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago tried to access the house of Besigye he was arrested by the Police today. FDC Party President Gen. Mugisha Muntu has not been allowed through the gates to Besigye’s home.

Amama Mbaabzi house in Kololo suburbs of Kampala was sealed off yesterday by Police and Field Formation Unit. Have not heard any reports since then, so expect that he is still under house-arrest today, and would like to be verified if not.

There have been put up roadblocks on Entebbe Highway around Lubowa and it’s been there since last night!

Roadblocks mounted on major roads in & out of Kampala: Jinja Gayaza, Kampala-Gulu, Masaka, Hoima, Kampala-Mubende & Entebbe” (WBS TV Uganda, 20.02.2016).

In Kasese:

“Reports reaching us indicate that: One person shot dead as police disperse protesters in Kasese. People are demanding release of final results for Thursday elections” (Hello Uganda, 20.02.2016).

Ofwono Opondo has continued his arrogance on today’s Capital Ganag:
“It is not enough people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything”. Comment: He has just followed the Dictator of Joseph Stalin and he is such an inspiration these days for you.

Missing boxes 20.02.2016

As the missing ballot boxes seems to surface:
“Besigye has won Acet, Odek and Omoro counties, but Police hid the boxes” (87.7 Kampala FM, 20.02.2016).

Oulanyah House 20.02.2016

Hon. Oulanyah reports:
“A total of seven white ballot boxes, three of which had pre-ticked ballot papers were found in Hon. Oulanyah’s Omoro constituency this morning, reports indicate” (Red Pepper, 20.02.2016).

Transmission of Results Omoro

Interesting right? Especially with the findings in this home as well. There is certainly big tale of fixing results from Omoro alone. And wonder if that is the only area where the elections has unfolded like this. Let all of us just think about that while the Electoral Commission adds more numbers from their cooked numbers as we speak.

Release Bond 20.02.2016

I wonder what the reason by this story:

Here is a woman released after Electoral Violence detained on 17th February and released late last night on 19th February. She was Carol Natukunda and what did she do, that is what I wonder about, what was the reason for the Police to detain her on the 17th February?

Another missing story is this one here: 

House Police 20.02.2016 UPF

What was in the house and story am I missing?

A Plot Twist:

“Kasibante has Declaration forms that show he won the 2016 Lubaga North parliamentary election. The Electoral Commission ordered by Museveni to declare Betty Kamya (Ask yourselves Why?)! The good thing the gentleman has all his forms signed by all officials” (Radio Free Buganda, 20.02.2016)

I have officially quit listening to Andrew Mwenda as he describes the world in a sense seems like a fairytale world. His tweets are like a dream-land and defending the NRM into oblivion and attacking the opposition while the opposition is jailed, detainer or arrested. Even Abed Bwanika has been detained yesterday if you didn’t capture that in the FDC saga and demonstrations in Kampala, that happen after the Police went crazy at the FDC HQ.

Find one thing wrong during my last remarks:

Today the NRM Talley Center at Jokas Hotel has addressed the media on 20.02.2016 while FDC tried to the same at their Headquarter on the 19th January and then the Helicopter with tear-gas came and the military police arrested them all. Why didn’t the Police enter and take down the NRM tally Center as the Electoral Commission is only allowed to do so, they said that yesterday didn’t they?

Well, there seems to still not being close to being a level playing-field in this elections. And there will continue with political movements until it is all uncovered. Peace.