EC rejects Danish NGO civic education posters
THE Electoral commission (EC) has rejected the controversial Danish NGO civic education posters that were seized last week.
By Felix Osike
THE Electoral commission (EC) has rejected the controversial Danish NGO civic education posters that were seized last week.
EC chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu told journalists yesterday that the commission did not clear MS Uganda, the organisation which imported the 150,000 posters purportedly for civic education.
Kiggundu said the EC had received information implicating MS Uganda for importing into the country information material with partisan content.
“As an institution, we never had prior knowledge about the importation of the posters. They had expressed interest in civic education but they never came back to us. Accreditation time ended. I have no room to accept the materials. We have no role to play,†he said.
MS Uganda is an NGO under the Danish association for International Cooperation. Ulla Stroebech, the MS Uganda director, had said the posters, which were printed in Tanzania, were to be distributed with clearance from the EC.
Kiggundu said the commission would wait for the Election Offences Squad to complete investigations into the case. “I would like to emphasise that all organisations interested in conducting voter education should seek clearance from us to avoid such incidents,†he warned.
The CID has summoned MS Uganda officials for questioning today.
MS Uganda management says the posters seized on Monday by the URA and the Special Revenue Protection Service at Mutukula border point were civic education materials published and distributed in 2002.
The Government says the posters depict intimidation of voters by the army. But MS Uganda said they never wanted to antagonise the government.
THE Electoral commission (EC) has rejected the controversial Danish NGO civic education posters that were seized last week.
EC chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu told journalists yesterday that the commission did not clear MS Uganda, the organisation which imported the 150,000 posters purportedly for civic education.
Kiggundu said the EC had received information implicating MS Uganda for importing into the country information material with partisan content.
“As an institution, we never had prior knowledge about the importation of the posters. They had expressed interest in civic education but they never came back to us. Accreditation time ended. I have no room to accept the materials. We have no role to play,†he said.
MS Uganda is an NGO under the Danish association for International Cooperation. Ulla Stroebech, the MS Uganda director, had said the posters, which were printed in Tanzania, were to be distributed with clearance from the EC.
Kiggundu said the commission would wait for the Election Offences Squad to complete investigations into the case. “I would like to emphasise that all organisations interested in conducting voter education should seek clearance from us to avoid such incidents,†he warned.
The CID has summoned MS Uganda officials for questioning today.
MS Uganda management says the posters seized on Monday by the URA and the Special Revenue Protection Service at Mutukula border point were civic education materials published and distributed in 2002.
The Government says the posters depict intimidation of voters by the army. But MS Uganda said they never wanted to antagonise the government.