Bebe Cool & Dr. Jose Chameleone Congratulates President Museveni!

Bebe Cool Campaign Rally

Message after declations of Victory from Bebe Cool:

Yeeeeeeeeeeee NRM oyeeeeeeeee.
Congratulations Your excellence YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI and the entire NRM.
I also wish to thank the Ugandan opposition for the part played during this period but mostly FDC candidate Dr KIZZA BESIGYE for representing the the minority with a different opinion.
I must thank Ugandans in general for participating even strongly than ever.
I thank the members of the press and security that have worked tirelessly to see this process through.

J.Chameleone NRM Suit

Congratulations to the Elected President of Uganda 2016 – Y.K.Museveni.

And for all society condemning each other on who voted and supported who it’s not Primary now. It’s time to reconcile and together build our nation with the greatest of our abilities.

To all Friends and Fans who have thrown unkindness to me for practicing my fundamental right of choice, please stop threatening to boycott my Showcases that shows how conditional your support to me is. I have never insulted your love for other artistes simply because such is life.

If I offended any of you in that manner,Stay home next time I have a Show and wait for those you support unconditionally.
I am Ugandan,We are Ugandans.

We are all relevant to the building of a Peaceful and prosperous Uganda.

LEONE ISLAND MUSIC EMPIRE

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

Dr. Kizza Besigye statement on the conduct of the 2016 presidential elections (Youtube-Clip)

Dr. Kizza Besigye’s  message from House Arrest in Kasangati in Wakiso on the outskirts of Kampala. Listen to it! As we mourn the results and the way the Electoral Commission has taken the power of the People and given way to the President Museveni yet again. This message from the People’s President is deep and strong. A worthy message from a great man! Peace.

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)

OPM 20.02.2016 P1

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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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My letter to President Museveni on the recent polls and actions during the general election 2016

UPM Poster

19th February 2016, Oslo

Dear His Excellency (H.E.) President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni!

I write to you in this moment as you are in the midst of another turmoil called Ugandan elections. I know you are trying to ensure your kind of peace and your kind of democracy. Though we are many who disagree at what levels of freedom and validity of your concern of the ballots that the people of Uganda has casted during the last 48 hours in the country.

As you was the man who went to the bush for rigging after the 1980s. When the political platform Uganda Patriotic Movement which you founded Mr. President; was shattered in a well manufactured election by President Obote and his cronies. The same you are delivering today. The different are the amount of people, electronics, cellphones, parties, candidates, districts, cars and strength of the army. As you have seen the different the country is since you seized power in 1986.

You have gotten a Police Force and Special Force Command who kills and destroys; and in the end, doesn’t give assurance of safety; as the “mambas” and tear-gas thunder through streets; as they demolish and kills the democratic values the country supposed to have.

Museveni Butiaba 07112015

You as commander-in-chief and a fellow army-man even before the polls, in the weeks before pictures of you shooting rifles and later calling out that you was the only one who could keep Uganda safe; doesn’t speak of integrity of the laws and systems you put in place or the governmental structure you have been in charge of; if the legacy of your rule is that you couldn’t let anybody else become President in the country and have the ability to control the army. As if you have secrets in the army you don’t want the society to know.

Mr. President your continuation of detaining opposition leaders, presidential candidates, human-rights-activists, journalists and such does not speak of the free society for the peasants you wanted to liberate in the 1980s. It seems more like the society you wanted to free, have you now made in the same image as the your predecessors did. It does not speak of freedom or liberty seeing army men walking down with AK47 in broad-day light and taking ballot-boxes His Excellency! That sounds more like a totalitarian state and a police state. What was the hurry of the Special Forces Command the other day, when they had to take control of Nakasero Hospital on the day of polls?

Milton Obote_pic

Mr. President you did not only go to the bush for fighting against the vote-rigging regime of Obote, you went to war because of the knowledge of the Northern control or the Acholi in the army; this was even proved by Professor Gingyera-Pinycwa at Makerere in 1988. You have during your time turned the Government Officials, Army and Police into a Ankoli or Western-Ugandan people in the institutions, and the people connected to you Mr. President. You have made the state in the image of Obote!

Mr. President you have a flash car, flash air-plane, big-farm, own businesses, your brother Salim Selah own businesses, your daughter owns businesses and the Museveni family is interconnected in higher parts of life, the same as the cronies of the Obote, difference is that your family has been living for decades on the laurels of you His Excellency!

I beg you too see your ways and think about the values you talked about while being in the bush and the peoples who died for the reasons that the peasants deserved a government who truly represent them and tried to build society together with them. At some point you did, you even by narrow escape and people believed in you; the reforms and constitution and laws was positive. The reaction was that the country got more donor funding and strengthening of the army. Also a better relationship with the countries around as Idi Amin and Obote had offended Tanzania and neighbors.

Old Taxi Park 16.02.2016

The then peasants are now grown people and know all of your terms, known your rhetoric and how you have changed. Mr. President you have had the chance of going with glory, but your lingering into power has proven to be one of your sticking points, even if that beats your own words that was: “The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people, but leaders who want to overstay in power”. Today you are in a elections that if you wins you will start your official 5th Term, though I am coining it your 7th. I am sure you will disagree with me there Mr. President, but I have issues with taking away your first decade in power.

Mr. President I know it is much to ask as your wasn’t officially elected in 1986 and as if you get men to cook the ballots to fit you now; to think about what made you go to the bush in 1980, and what made the start of February 7th and 8th with the battle of Kakamba School and taking the town of Kiboga Town to take some guns for the guerilla warfare. This here should make you think of the progression and the state of affairs, as the army, elections rigging and governmental institutions are placed and made for you instead of the peasants you was out to liberate.

Uganda EC Wall

The lives that have died during the polls and during the pre-elections period should be a reminder of the way you have made the state of affairs right now. Mr. President you have done everything in your power to let out information by stopping mobile-money and social media; even if your own media-houses spread information through them. As you also will try to remember the opposition men and woman who has been hurt and gone by your army and police. Mr. President you serve your opposition as much as your own yellow brigade of yes-men even the people of Elegu close to South Sudan as much as the men in Kisoro close to Rwanda, the people of Bududa district; the people of Mbale and Tororo district and even in Kawempe, Kampala. Peasants and blue-collar men deserve security and not having “mambas” driving around making kids and parents afraid to buy splash at the Muhindi store down the street. The helicopter shouldn’t wake people up and look for people with pre-ticket ballot papers for you who hasn’t been counted. Mr. President! This here is your people and the people who at one point trusted you and thought you wanted them well. The times have change and the opposition should be given a chance as you were given. Mr. President you have represented them for ages, but you do not own the country or the people; I am sure Paul Ssemogerere would like to ask how you rigged the 1996 election. Those years nobody can’t take back, but at the same time; Uganda and Government of Uganda deserves a future!

NRM Muhanga Museum 4.1.2016 P3

Mr. President, as it seems by the rallies and the will of the people, you should give them a chance to have a positive change. Give the peasants and the people what is theirs. Their will and ballots, their representatives and their lives that has been altered by your orders and the way you have used government funds to get tear-gas and bullets, instead of medicines for hospitals and wages for teachers. You know this Mr. President and don’t think of it or haven’t been advised about it. Times for that to change as the people should be behind their President and be sure that the government entities as Army and Police working and hurting them now.

Mr. President the Army and Police is issuing and making violence against the people and not securing their homes as they are securing your power. That is not what 1986 was about. You know that Mr. President, the constitution of 1995 was not about your staying in power for life Mr. President. Mr. President this cannot be what legacy you want to live behind. You might write two editions of Sowing the Mustard Seed, but it is the people like me, who either build reputations or destroys it; As the truth of the different times of your regime Mr. President, the times has changed since 1986 and 2016. 30 years of power should be enough for any man. Mr. President do you remember the smile on the face of President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania when he gave-way to the new President of Tanzania? That is something that also could been you and the people would have remembered the big-man who had it in him to step-down and let new blood control the country. Mr. President I never expect you or any of your men to read my letter. Though I hope that somebody tells you the sentiment and the care; the concern of the state of affairs, the violence, the unnecessary deaths and the careless attacks on democratic values from the government entities.

Best Regards
The Writer of Minbane.

CEON U – Prelimenary Statement on 2016 General Elections (19.02.2016)

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