Social media is redefining Uganda’s political campaigns and elections

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OPINION

By Carolyne Muyama

It is a campaign period in Uganda, but it is far from business as usual. We don’t have to wait for the evening news to gather around the television to catch up with what is happening in different political camps because we are consuming news in real time. From smartphones to social networks, social media has become a powerful tool shaping campaigns, influencing voter behaviour, and altering how elections unfold.

It is no wonder that there have been arguments that this year’s campaigns are ‘boring’. Although this could be due to several factors, it is also true that law enforcement agencies have changed their methods of managing mass gatherings, with officers restrained in their interactions and responses to crowd activity. When crowds perceive officers as fair and respectful, they are likely to cooperate, reducing tensions and promoting peace.

In the modern political arena, the battle for votes is no longer fought only in crowded village rallies and radio talk shows. While physical rallies remain central to Uganda’s politics, social media is now influencing how they are planned, broadcast, and consumed.

Many Ugandans now follow campaigns on TikTok, Facebook Live, and YouTube without necessarily attending political rallies physically. So, candidates and their strategists should not only rely on the crowds at their political rallies to determine their strength and popularity. They should invest resources in understanding and utilizing social media to engage with their supporters and voters.

New-media mobilisation via WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages, and Instagram stories has allowed rapid announcements of rally venues, changes, or mobilising transport. The cost barrier is much lower because one viral video can achieve more visibility than a physical rally of 10,000 people. I bet right now most of us, if not all of us, have been added to various social media groups and have witnessed how information is exchanged and actions taken remotely.

According to New Vision, the number of registered voters for the 2021 elections was 17,658,527; of those, 67% were youth aged 18-35. Given this, social-media outreach aimed at youth is no longer optional. Since they form a substantial segment of the voting population, the youth have the power to determine the outcome of an election. The downside of it is that they can use social media to run negative campaigns and spread misinformation that can be detrimental.

Social media provides equal opportunity for all candidates to respond online to national issues, rather than waiting for traditional press conferences, turning it into a campaign “town hall” at scale. Juxtapose this to traditional media that may provide more space for the popular candidates because of economic reasons and the personal biases of reporters. Therefore, political candidates can no longer cover their ineffectiveness with unfair media coverage.

The rise of citizen journalism now means ordinary citizens use smartphones and social media to record rallies, arrests, or irregularities, and which videos spread quickly and may force responses. This also contributes to accountability and responsibility of stakeholders.

Research suggests that while online political engagement is rising among youth, its translation into offline voting behaviour is less clear. In fact, there is a joke that the elites who spend days typing complicated English on social media don’t go out to vote. They then wait for the election outcome, and they continue with their English, causing little to no impact.

Good as social media might sound, it does not replace ground-mobilisation, village agents, or party structures, but it substantially complements them.

When roughly two-thirds of the electorate is young, and when those youths are reachable via smartphones and social networks, campaigns that ignore digital platforms risk becoming invisible to urban and youth voters.

To harness social media responsibly and effectively in future campaigns and elections in Uganda, there is a need for digital literacy among citizens, especially youth, to detect misinformation and engage critically.

Formulating clear regulations for online campaigning that protect free expression and limit harmful manipulation, transparency from political parties regarding digital advertising, data use, and online outreach, leveraging social media for civic education, and strengthening infrastructure and connectivity for rural voters, small towns, and marginalised groups would go a long way.

In the lead-up to the 2026 general elections, the candidates and parties who master both the physical rally ground and the digital timeline will likely define the next chapter of Uganda’s democracy.

The writer works with Uganda Media Centre