We are still in charge of 2021 polls ­- EC boss

#UGDecides2021|ELECTORAL COMMISSION

KAMPALA - The Electoral Commission (EC) chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama, has dismissed claims by the Opposition that the body has been overrun by security agencies and is no longer in charge of the 2021 elections.

"It would be erroneous for one to say that EC has lost track of what's going on and that it is no longer in charge of the elections simply because of the unfortunate episodes that are happening during the campaigns; mind you, in a campaign there are several players," he said over the weekend.

Byabakama noted that "the important thing is that we need to build bridges of trust and respectability and avoid badmouthing one another, and so on."

Opposition Presidential candidates such as Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine of National Unity Platform (NUP) and Patrick Amuriat of Forum for Democratic Change have been calling upon EC to be seen to be in charge of the elections and all its aspects.

They have also been asking the EC to be seen to be impartial and independent in the way they conduct their business.

"I know the EC are in charge legally but in practice, they are not; their hands are tied. But let them place on record their displeasure over the human rights violations by the Police and security agencies," NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi told New Vision. 

The new United States ambassador to Uganda, Natalie E. Brown, paid a courtesy call on the EC on Thursday and said standard operating procedures set by the ministry of health and EC to combat the spread of COVID-19 during the campaigns must be applied equally and in full transparency.

She said violence has no place in the electoral space. The Opposition presidential candidates argue that the so-called COVID-19 rules are subject to the interpretation of partisan security operatives.

"There is a clear contradiction in the manner in which the COVID rules are being enforced. On any given day there are crowds in our markets and business centres like Kikuubo. And yet there is no interest to enforce these rules in those areas. Instead, there is a rage about stopping campaign rallies by opposition presidential candidates," a recent joint statement by five opposition candidates said.

The five candidates are Kyagulanyi, Amuriat, Norbert Mao of Democratic Party, Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation and Lt Gen (rtd) Henry Tumukunde, an independent.

EC set November 9 to January 12 as the campaign period for Presidential, Parliamentary, and local government campaigns. 

The polling day is January 14 for the president and MPs and January 20 for district chairpersons and mayors.

There are 11 candidates in the presidential race, who also include incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement and independents Joseph Kabuleta, Fred Mwesigye, Willy Mayambala, John Katumba, and Nancy Kalembe, the only female contender.