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PPI

                 Public Policy Institute

Uganda 2021 General
Elections Information
Leaflet
Uganda 2021 General Elections Information Leaflet - PPI Public Policy Institute - Public ...
UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET                                                    1

 1. ABOUT THIS INFORMATION LEAFLET

Uganda will go to the polls in 2021                   2. ELECTORAL GEOGRAPHY
for the country’s fourth multiparty                   The total number of available elec�ve posi�ons for
                                                      the 2020/21 elec�ons are 1,539,946. These
general elections under the 1995                      posi�ons cover the Presidency, Parliamentary and
constitution. PPI through this leaflet                 Local Government Councils general elec�ons as well
has profiled the basic facts and                       as Special Interest Groups.
information that you need to know
about the elections.
Table 1: Distribu�on of Electoral Units and Elec�ve Posi�ons
Electoral Units                          Number          Seats/Elective positions
Number of Districts                      135            a) 135 Women Representa�ve to
                                                            Parliament
                                                        b) 135 District Local Council V
                                                            Chairpersons
Number of Ci�es (including               11             c) 11 City (District) Women Members of
Kampala Capital City Authority)                             Parliament
                                                        d) 29 Directly elected Members of
                                                            Parliament
                                                        e) Lord Mayor (KCCA)
                                                        f) 10 City Mayors
                                                        g) 25 City Division Mayors
Number of Municipali�es                  56             h) 56 Directly elected Members of
                                                            Parliament
Number of Regions                        4               5 Members of Parliament for Youth
                                                         5 Members of Parliament for PwDs
                                                         5 Members of Parliament for Workers
                                                         5 Members of Parliament for the Elderly
Uganda Peoples Defense Forces            1               10 M embers of Parliament for the UPDF
Council
Number of Coun�es                        312             353 Directly elected Members of
                                                         Parliament
Total number of Members of               529             Direct and Special Interest Groups Seats,
Parliament to be elected                                 includes Women District Representa�ves
No. of Sub                               2,184           2,184 Chairperson of LC III
coun�es/Towns/Municipal Divisions

Number of Parishes in Uganda             10,595          Local Council II Chairpersons
Number of Villages in Uganda             70,626          Local Council I Chairpersons
Number of Polling Sta�ons in             34,344
Uganda
Number of Registered Voters in           17,658,527      43.8 percent of Ugandans
Uganda
Total popula�on                          40.3
                                         Million

Source: Electoral Commission & UBOS 2019 Statistical Abstract
Uganda 2021 General Elections Information Leaflet - PPI Public Policy Institute - Public ...
2                                       UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET

Table 2: Disaggrega�on of Registered Voters by Age and Gender
 Category                          Number                                Percentage
 Total Registered Voters               17,658,527                        100
 Female Registered Voters              9,218,963                         52.21
 Male Registered Voters                8,439,564                         47.79
 Youth (10 - 30 Years )                7,846,373                         44.4
 Elderly (60+ years)                   1,701,518                         9.6
 PwDs                                  382,577                           2.1
Source: Electoral Commission, 2019 ( Compiled in 2019, using the youth, elderly and PWD registers )
The number of eligible voters has increased from       every tallying Centre (s. 12(1b))
15.28 million in 2016 to 17.66 million in 2021,        c) Regula�ons by way of statutory instrument to
represen�ng an increment of 2.38 million new           prescribe the manner of use of technology in the
voters.                                                management of elec�ons (s. 12(1c)- (1d).

3. ELECTION FACTS AND INFORMATION                      3.1.3. The Presiden�al Elec�ons Act, 2005 [PEA]
                                                       (as amended)
3.1. Laws and Provisions Under which the 2021
General Elec�ons will be Conducted?
                                                       The Presiden�al Elec�ons Act (2005) provides for
The 2021 general elec�ons will be conducted            the elec�on of the president. In 2020, sec�on 56
under the following legal frameworks;                  (2) of the Act was amended to provide for the
                                                       electronic transmission of electoral results (the
3.1.1. The Cons�tu�on of the Republic of Uganda        return form, tally sheets and declara�ons of results
                                                       forms) by returning officers to the Commission.
The 1995 Cons�tu�on of the Republic of Uganda          The electronic transmission requires copies to be
(as amended) provides for;                             availed to poli�cal par�es and candidates, though
                                                       it does not do away with delivery of hardcopies of
a)     The Establishment of the Electoral Commis-
sion (Ar�cle 60) and its mandate (Ar�cle 61) to        the listed documents to the Commission.
organize, conduct and supervise regular, free, and
fair elec�ons and referenda;                           3.1.4. The Parliamentary Elec�ons Act, 2005 (as
                                                       amended)
b)   The electoral process and �melines within
which to conduct the elec�ons; and                     The Parliamentary Elec�ons Act provides for the
                                                       parliamentary elec�ons in accordance with Ar�cle
c) Redress procedures to aggrieved presiden�al
candidates (Art.104) in the Supreme Court a�er         76 of the 1995 Cons�tu�on. It s�pulates the quali-
the declara�on of elec�on results.                     fica�ons and disqualifica�on for a parliamentary
                                                       elec�on, the nomina�on, campaigning, polling,
3.1.2. The Electoral Commission Act, Cap 140           coun�ng of votes, tallying and declara�on of
[ECA] (as amended).                                    elec�on results and procedures for pe��oning the
                                                       elec�on results. In addi�on, it provides for parlia-
The Electoral Commission Act, Cap 140 provides
                                                       mentary cons�tuencies and tenure of office of
the detailed provisions related to the func�ons of
the Commission.                                        members of Parliament.
In 2020, the ECA was amended to provide for;
                                                       3.1.5. The Local Government Act, 1997 [LGA] (as
a) Use of technology in the management of              amended)
elec�ons (s. 12(1a);
b) Electronic display system for the public at         a) Sec�on 101 of the LGA mandates the EC to
UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET                                                      3

organize local council elec�ons, providing the        3.2.  Poli�cal System for the 2021 General Ele-
various posi�ons, requirements to contest and         c�ons
procedures of conduc�ng the elec�ons.
b)    The LGA mandates the EC to demarcate            a)      The 2021 presiden�al and parliamentary
electoral areas in line with parameters stated in     elec�ons will be the fourth elec�ons to be
sec�on 108 (1-4).                                     conducted under a mul�-party-poli�cal dispensa-
c)      The electoral posi�ons provided for under     �on since 2005 when the country returned to-
the LGA are District Local and urban council Chair-   Mul�party Democracy. Since 2006, the country
persons, municipal mayors, and councillors.           has successfully conducted regular elec�ons
                                                      following a 5-year cycle.
3.1.6. The Na�onal Youth Council Act, 1993
[NYCA] (as amended)                                   b)      A total of 26 poli�cal par�es are registered
                                                      and eligible to par�cipate by sponsoring candi-
Sec�on 15 of the NYCA provides for the Na�onal        dates across all elec�ve posi�ons.
Youth Council Delegates Conference as the elector-
al College for the elec�on of the 5 Youth members     3.3.   Other Key Ins�tu�ons Mandated to Deliv-
of Parliament.                                        er, Manage, and Enforce Electoral Ac�vi�es

3.1.7. The Poli�cal Par�es and Organiza�ons Act,      The other key ins�tu�ons cri�cal to Uganda’s 2021
2005 [PPOA] (as amended)                              general elec�ons are

a)    The poli�cal Par�es and Organisa�on’s Act       •       Uganda Communica�ons Commission
provides for the forma�on, registra�on of and         •       Uganda Human Rights Commission and
membership to poli�cal par�es;                        •       Security Agencies
b)      In addi�on, the PPOA provides for the
regula�on of the financing of poli�cal par�es and      What will be their roles in the elec�ons?
organisa�ons;
c)        In 2019, an amendment was done to           3.3.1. Uganda Communica�ons commision (UCC)
prescribe a code of conduct for poli�cal par�es
and organisa�ons including a prescrip�on of how       The mandate of the Commission is to regulate the
par�es should conduct themselves ahead of and         communica�on sector in Uganda. The Commission
during general and residual elec�ons;                 thus has regulatory oversight with respect to
d)      Ahead of the 2021 general elec�ons, the       telecommunica�ons, data communica�on, radio
Electoral Commission has provided guidelines to       communica�ons, postal communica�ons, and
poli�cal par�es, guiding that each candidate shall    broadcas�ng.
be personally iden�fied by the symbol of his or her
party on the ballot paper.                            Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic
                                                      and the measures established to combat its
Other legal frameworks include;                       spread, the Electoral Commission, in its revised
i) The Na�onal Women Councils Act, Cap 319 (as        roadmap to the 2021 elec�ons indicated that polit-
amended);                                             ical campaigning by the different candidates will
j) The Persons with Disability Act, 2020;             be done mainly through the media, especially
k) The Na�onal Council for Older Persons Act,         radio sta�ons, television sta�ons and online
2013; and                                             pla�orms.
l) The Labour Unions Act, 2006.
4                                         UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET

The Uganda Communica�ons Commission has                 the Electoral Commission and ensure law and
therefore developed guidelines that lay out the         order ahead of and during the elec�ons. This
responsibili�es of media houses, broadcas�ng            includes safety of vo�ng opera�ons and guaran-
radio sta�ons, television sta�ons, poli�cal par�es,     tees that all eligible voters can freely par�cipate in
candidates, journalists and the Electoral Commis-       vo�ng and according to their own choices without
sion regarding the use of media for campaigns           fear of harm or in�mida�on.
during the na�onal Presiden�al and Parliamentary
elec�ons in Uganda.                                     b)      Secure Elec�on Materials
                                                        The police will have the role of ensuring security of
UCC will therefore play a regulatory func�on to         elec�on materials at vo�ng and coun�ng centres
ensure that the media;                                  and during their transporta�on. Therefore, it is the
                                                        duty of the police and not that of poli�cal players
a)       Provides fair, accurate and comprehensive      to ensure that electoral materials are not stolen,
elec�on related news and informa�on to                  hijacked, destroyed, or fraudulently altered by any
enable-ci�zens to make informed poli�cal                group or persons.
decisions;
b)       Provides a balanced and adequate oppor-        c)      Mi�gate Electoral Violence and Inves�-
tunity for ci�zens, candidates, and poli�cal par�es     gate Related Offences.
to express divergent poli�cal views;                    The police is obliged to ensure equitable security
c)       Reports accurately about the vo�ng             during an electoral process and build ci�zens confi-
process and the results; and                            dence and commitment to an electoral ac�vi�es.
d)       Reports accurately and fairly the immedi-
ate a�ermath of the elec�ons.                           d)      Providing Security to Poli�cal Candidates.
                                                        During the campaign period, the Commission in
3.3.2. Uganda Human Rights Commission                   liaison with the Uganda Police, provides escort
(UHRC)                                                  teams to Presiden�al candidates. The Police
                                                        ensures adequate security at all the campaign
•       The role of the Uganda Human Rights             venues countrywide.
Commission is to conduct and report on civic
par�cipa�on ahead of the general elec�ons. In           4. ELECTION DATES
addi�on, UHRC is mandated to ensure that voter          The approved key elec�on dates by the Electoral
and registra�on campaigns play a vital role in          Commission for 2020/2021 General Elec�ons are
ensuring that ci�zens effec�vely exercise their          as follows.
rights to vote and minimizing cases of voter            Table 3: The Key Elec�on Dates
apathy.                                                 No      Activity                                               Period
                                                             1. Nomination of candidates for Local Government          October 5, 2020
                                                                Councils
                                                             2. Nomination of Candidates for Parliamentary Elections   October 15 -16, 2020
•        In addi�on, UHRC is mandated to protect             3. Nomination of Candidates for Presidential Elections    2nd- 3rd November, 2020
                                                             4. Nomination of Municipality and City Division SIG       21st-22nd September, 2020
the rights of non-state actors duly accredited for              Committees Candidates (Older persons, PWDs and
                                                                Youth)
civic educa�on, from any undue harassment, inter-            5. Conduct of municipality and City Division SIG
                                                                committees Candidates’’ campaign
                                                                                                                       23rd-24th September, 2020

ference, and interrup�on in the course of their              6. Polling for municipality and city Division OP
                                                                committees
                                                                                                                       25th September, 2020

civic educa�on work.                                         7. Polling for municipality and city Division PWD
                                                                committees
                                                                                                                       28th September, 2020

                                                             8. Polling for municipality and city Division Youth       30th September, 2020
                                                                committees

3.3.3. The Police (Assisted by its Sister agencies)          9. Polling period for 2021 General Elections              10th January - 8th February
                                                                                                                       2021

                                                        Source: Electoral Commission, 2019
a)      Ensure Law and Order
The obliga�on of the Police is to provide security to
UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET                                                                          5

4.1.     Eligibility to Vote                                       years by the closure of the update exercise
                                                                   conducted by Electoral Commission.
All ci�zens of Uganda 18 years and above are                       Hence, when a voters’ roll for each polling sta�on
eligible to register to vote. Every registered voter is            in a parish has been compiled, only persons whose
enrolled on to the Na�onal Voters' Register.                       names appear on the roll are en�tled to vote.
For one to vote in the 2021 general elec�ons, they                 Voters’ register was compiled by upda�ng and
must be on the Electoral Register and should be 18                 displaying of the Na�onal Voters Register and
                                                                   Registers of Special interest groups.
4.2.    The Districts with the Highest Number of
Voters in Uganda?
Figure 1: The Top Ten Districts in Terms of Registered Voters
                                                              Voters

         1,400,000
                     1,281,308
                                 1,160,551
         1,200,000

         1,000,000

           800,000

           600,000

                                             372,102 354,047
           400,000                                           328,415
                                                                       274,772 264,222       261,953 257,276 256,454
           200,000

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Source: Electoral Commission National Voters Register for the 2020/21 General Elections
Kampala and Wakiso districts have the highest number of registered voters totaling 2.4 million. The top ten
districts in terms of vo�ng numbers cons�tute a total of 4.8 million represen�ng 27 percent of the overall
voters.

4.3.     Elec�ve Posi�ons
Table 4: Category of Elec�ons with Elec�ve Posi�ons for 2021 Elec�ons
 Category                                                                                            Number of electives
                                                                                                     Positions for 2021

 Presidential                                                                                                               1
 Parliamentary                                                                                                            529
 District                                                                                                               4,273
 Municipality/City Division                                                                                             1,424
 Sub-county/Town/Municipal Division                                                                                    30,679
 Youth, PWDs and Older Persons Committees Village to National Level                                                 1,503,040
 Total                                                                                                              1,539,946
Source: Electoral Commission Revised Roadmap to the 2020/2021 General Elections
4.4.    How are Special Interest Elec�ons Conducted and Who is Eligible?

Special interest groups will be conducted taking into considera�on the Standard Opera�ng Procedures put
in place to control the spread of COVID -19 by the Ministry of Health.
6                                          UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET

Table 5: The Category, Level and Mode of Elec�ons for Special Interest Groups
 Category      Level                                                     Mode of Election
 Youth         Village/Cell,Parish/Ward,Sub-county/                      Electoral college and lining up
               Town/Municipal Division and Municipality/City
               Division
               District and National level                               Electoral college and Secret
                                                                         ballot
 PWDs          Village/Cell,Parish/Ward,Sub-county/                      Electoral college and lining up
               Town/Municipal Division and Municipality/City
               Division
               District Level                                            Electoral college and Secret
                                                                         ballot
 Older         Village/Cell,Parish/Ward,Sub-county/                      Electoral college and lining up
 Persons       Town/Municipal Division and Municipality/City
               Division
               District and Regional level                               Electoral college and Secret
                                                                         ballot
 PW Ds         Village/Cell,Parish/Ward,Sub-county/                      Electoral college and lining up
               Town/Municipal Division and Municipality/City
               Division
               District Level                                            Electoral college and Secret
                                                                         ballot
 Older         Village/Cell,Parish/Ward,Sub-county/                      Electoral college and lining up
 Persons       Town/Municipal Division and Municipality/City
               Division
               District and Regional level                               Electoral college and Secret
                                                                         ballot
Source; Uganda Electoral Commission Revised Roadmap to the 2021 General Elections

Youth. Eligible youth should be a Ci�zen of              The Commission shall deploy the use of technolo-
Uganda with 18 years of age but below 30 years,          gy as follows;
residing in the village/cell and a registered voter in
the Youth Council Register.                              •         Registra�on of voters; the na�onal nomi-
                                                         nal roll shall be generated from the Na�onal Infor-
Persons with Disabili�es. Eligible Persons with          ma�on data base that is compiled by the Na�onal
Disability should be a Ci�zen of Uganda with 18          Informa�on and Registra�on Authority.
years of age and above, residing in the village/cell     •         Display of the register; the nominal roll
and a registered voter in the PWD Council Register.      shall be displayed electronically accessible via
                                                         computer through the Electoral Commission
Older persons. Eligible Older persons should be a        website.
Ci�zen of Uganda with 60 years of age and above,         •         Iden�fica�on of voters on polling day; the
residing in the village/cell and a registered voter in   Electoral Commission shall use the Biometric Voter
the Older Persons Council Register                       System to iden�fy voters during polling.
                                                         •         Transmission and Tally of Elec�ons: on
4.5.   Will Technology Be Used in the 2021               polling day, results from the polling sta�on and sub
General Elec�ons?                                        county tally center shall be electronically trans-
                                                         ferred using the Electronic Results Transfer and
The Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2019          Dissemina�on System (ERTDS).
that was passed by Parliament in March 2020              •         Sensi�za�on, Communica�on, and Voter
amended the Electoral Commission Act, Cap.140            Educa�on; the Electoral Commission shall conduct
to provide for the use of technology in the man-         voter educa�on using media including social
agement of elec�ons.                                     media. In addi�on, voters are able to access their
                                                         voter details electronically by sending an SMS/ or
                                                         via the EC website.
UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET                                                      7

4.6.    How do Poli�cal Par�es Internally Choose      the commission the authority to examine any
their Candidates for the General Elec�ons?            elec�on-related complaints, decide on a course
                                                      and take necessary ac�on to correct an irregularity
All poli�cal par�es are required to choose their      once confirmed.
candidates for general elec�ons as well as party
structures in adherence to Ar�cle 71 (c-d) of the     c)      In the event that a complainant does not
1995 Uganda Cons�tu�on. In adherence to this          agree with the EC’s decision, they can appeal to
provision, poli�cal par�es have used electoral        the High Court in the form of a pe��on, supported
colleges and primary elec�ons (using adult            by affidavits of evidence specifying the declara�on
suffrage) to choose their candidates for the various   that the High Court is being requested to make.
posi�ons.
However, due to COVID-19 and the measures             4.8.   How will the 2021 general elec�ons be
established to combat its spread, Parliament in       different from the previous elec�ons (are there
July 2020 approved new guidelines for the conduct     any new reforms to elec�on delivery and man-
of poli�cal party primaries and elec�on of its        agement?
leaders.
                                                      a)     Use of technology in elec�ons in the
a)      Regula�on 5 of the guidelines empowers        2020/2021 General Elec�ons.
poli�cal par�es to include virtual mee�ngs, phased
elec�ons, and resolu�ons by circula�on as an          As highlighted above, there are new legal provi-
alterna�ve to conven�onal fun-filled primaries.        sions manda�ng the Electoral Commission to use
                                                      technology in the 2020/2021 general elec�ons.
b)      Regula�on 5(3) empowers par�es to over-       The EC will deploy technology as follows;
ride their Cons�tu�ons and opt for a method that
is in sync with the Covid19 health guidelines in      •        Display of the register; the nominal roll
selec�ng party officials and candidates.                shall be displayed electronically accessible via
                                                      computer through the Electoral Commission
c)       Except the topmost organs of poli�cal        website.
par�es, the other party structures can now have       •        Iden�fica�on of voters on polling day; the
their tenure extended pursuant to Regula�on 5(4).     Electoral Commission shall use the Biometric Voter
                                                      System to iden�fy voters during polling.
4.7.    How will Elec�on Disputes be Handled?         •        Transmission and Tally of Elec�ons: on
                                                      polling day, results from the polling sta�on and sub
Several legal instruments such as the 1995 Cons�-     county tally center shall be electronically trans-
tu�on of Uganda, the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act of      ferred using the Electronic Results Transfer and
2005, the Electoral Commission Act of 1997, and       Dissemina�on System (ERTDS).
the Parliamentary Elec�ons Act of 2005, provide       •        Sensi�za�on, Communica�on, and Voter
avenues through which elec�on disputes should         Educa�on; the Electoral Commission shall conduct
be handled.                                           voter educa�on using media including social
                                                      media. In addi�on, voters are able to access their
a)      For example, Ar�cle 61(f) of the cons�tu-     voter details electronically by sending an SMS/ or
�on empowers the Electoral Commission (EC) to         via the EC website.
hear and determine elec�on complaints arising
before and during elec�ons.                           b)     Equal Access to State-owned Media by
                                                      Presiden�al Candidates.
b)      The Electoral Commission Act further gives
8                                         UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET

The Presiden�al Elec�ons (Amendment) Act 2020          b)     Equal Access to State-owned Media by
recasts and expands the provisions of sec�on 24(1)     Presiden�al Candidates.
of the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act No 16/2005 on
equal access to State owned media.                     The Presiden�al Elec�ons (Amendment) Act 2020
                                                       recasts and expands the provisions of sec�on 24(1)
                                                       of the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act No 16/2005 on
•       Defines state owned media as “media             equal access to State owned media.
houses in which the controlling interest is held by    •        Defines state owned media as “media
the state;                                             houses in which the controlling interest is held by
•       Places the obliga�on on to the Electoral       the state;
Commission to ensure equal treatment of all presi-     •        Places the obliga�on on to the Electoral
den�al candidates on state owned media;                Commission to ensure equal treatment of all presi-
                                                       den�al candidates on state owned media;
                                                       •        Mandates state owned media to no�fy all
•       Mandates state owned media to no�fy all        presiden�al candidates of available �mes, broad-
presiden�al candidates of available �mes, broad-       casts schedules and costs;
casts schedules and costs;                             •        Creates sanc�ons for contraven�on in
                                                       terms of fines to the state owned media houses
•       Creates sanc�ons for contraven�on in           and fines and/or imprisonment for persons in
terms of fines to the state owned media houses          charge of state owned media houses
and fines and/or imprisonment for persons in
                                                       c)      Campaign Rallies in Presiden�al Elec�ons
charge of state owned media houses                     to be Conducted Between 7am – 6pm

4.8.   How will the 2021 general elec�ons be           The Presiden�al Elec�ons (Amendment) Act 2020
different from the previous elec�ons (are there         amends the provisions of sec�on 21 of the Presi-
any new reforms to elec�on delivery and man-           den�al Elec�ons Act No 16/2005 by s�pula�ng
agement?                                               �me for holding of campaigns in presiden�al
                                                       elec�ons, as between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. (s. 21(1a)).
a)       Use of technology in elec�ons in the          As a result, it prescribes sanc�ons for contraven-
2020/2021 General Elec�ons                             �on in terms of fine not exceeding UGX: 960,000
As highlighted above, there are new legal provi-       and/or imprisonment for not more than 2 years (s.
sions manda�ng the Electoral Commission to use         21(1b).
technology in the 2020/2021 general elec�ons.
The EC will deploy technology as follows;              This provision may however not apply due to
•        Display of the register; the nominal roll     guidelines issues by the EC s�pula�ng that poli�cal
shall be displayed electronically accessible via       campaigns shall on be done through media and
computer through the Electoral Commission              not poli�cal gatherings. This is intended to adhere
website.                                               to the guidelines issues by the Ministry of Health
•        Iden�fica�on of voters on polling day; the     to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Electoral Commission shall use the Biometric Voter
System to iden�fy voters during polling.               d)     Elec�ons of Members of Parliament to be
•        Transmission and Tally of Elec�ons: on        Conducted only during the General Elec�ons
polling day, results from the polling sta�on and sub
county tally center shall be electronically trans-     The Parliamentary Elec�ons (Amendment) Act
ferred using the Electronic Results Transfer and       2020 amends the provisions of sec�on 8(5) of the
Dissemina�on System (ERTDS).                           Parliamentary Elec�ons Act No 17/2005 by requir-
•        Sensi�za�on, Communica�on, and Voter          ing the filling of elec�ve posi�ons of Members of
Educa�on; the Electoral Commission shall conduct       Parliament in respect of newly created districts or
voter educa�on using media including social            cons�tuencies to be deferred un�l the next gener-
media. In addi�on, voters are able to access their     al parliamentary elec�ons. The amendment means
voter details electronically by sending an SMS/ or     that the Electoral Commission only holds elec�ons
via the EC website.                                    for the representa�ves of new districts or cons�tu
UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET                                                         9

encies at the next general elec�on, rather than         d)      Reports accurately and fairly the immedi-
schedule elec�ons during the midst of an elec�on        ate a�ermath of the elec�ons.
cycle whenever a new district or cons�tuency is
created.                                                The Electoral Commission issued the following
                                                        guidelines in respect to the use of media for poli�-
e)      Polling and Polling Procedures                  cal campaigns;

The Parliamentary Elec�ons (Amendment) Act              •        All candidates/poli�cal par�es shall
2020 and the Presiden�al Elec�ons (Amendment)           conduct their media engagements in accordance
Act 2020 amended sec�ons 30(8) and 31(8) of the         with the programs submi�ed to the respec�ve
2005 Acts respec�vely, in requiring that the open       returning offices and harmonised by the respec�ve
ing of polling procedure be carried out in the full     media houses.
view of at least ten voters who are registered to       •        The Commission shall, through the
vote at the polling sta�on rather than, as it was       Uganda Communica�ons Commission require all
previously required in the full view of only 5 voters   media houses (privately owned) to make public
present.                                                their rate cards, availability of �me, the broadcast
                                                        schedule and cost of presen�ng their programs
f)    Public Officers Banned from Poli�cal                and allocate �me to candidates.
Campaigns                                               •        Candidates and their agents are encour-
                                                        aged to use other non-contact means of communi-
The Parliamentary Elec�ons (Amendment) Act              ca�on, that is, broadcas�ng, publishing, cell and
2020 and the Presiden�al Elec�ons (Amendment)           web-based pla�orms, to interact with the elector-
Act 2020 introduce new sec�ons 83A and 79A of           ate during the campaigns.
the 2005 Acts respec�vely, in banning the involve-      •        During the campaigns, candidates may use
ment of public officers in campaigns making it an         the Community Based Public Address Systems
offence that is punishable by a fine and/or impris-       (Kizindaalo) and a program for usage should be
onment.                                                 communicated by the candidates /agents to the
                                                        respec�ve returning officer.
4.9.   How will Poli�cal Campaigns be Conduct-          •        The Electoral Commission shall ensure
ed ahead of the Elec�ons?                               that all presiden�al candidates are given ‘equal
                                                        treatment on state-owned media to present their
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic         programs to the people in accordance with sec�on
and the measures established to combat its              24 (1) of the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act
spread, the Electoral Commission, in its revised        •        A State-owned media shall, within 14
roadmap to the 2021 elec�ons indicated that polit-      (fourteen) days a�er nomina�on day, no�fy in
ical campaigning by the different candidates will        wri�ng, all presiden�al candidates of the availabili-
be done mainly through the media, especially            ty of �me, the broadcas�ng schedule and cost of
radio sta�ons, television sta�ons and online            presen�ng their programs and shall allocate �me
pla�orms.                                               to the candidates in accordance with sec�on 24
                                                        (1a) of the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act.
4.10. How will media be used as a pla�orm for
poli�cal campaigns?                                     4.11 How will poli�cal candidates finance their
                                                        campaigns and what are the rules on campaign
The Media is required to;                               financing?
a)       Provide fair, accurate and comprehensive
elec�on related news and informa�on to enable           Poli�cal par�es represented in Parliament receive
ci�zens to make informed poli�cal decisions;            annual funding to the tune of UGX 10 billion (USD
b)       Provide a balanced and adequate opportu-       2.7m). This funding is administered by the EC and
nity for ci�zens, candidates, and poli�cal par�es to    appor�oned based on propor�onal representa-
express divergent poli�cal views;                       �on.
c)       Reports accurately about the vo�ng             During the general elec�ons, the EC is required
process and the results; and                            under the Presiden�al Elec�ons Act (2005) to
                                                        provide presiden�al candidates Security by way of
10                                        UGANDA 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS INFORMATION LEAFLET

personnel and lead vehicle throughout the
campaign period.

Rules of Campaign Financing

•       The Poli�cal Par�es and Organisa�ons Act
(2005) restricts contribu�ons from foreign sources
to UGX: 400m (USD 100,108), but provides no
restric�ons on funding from Ugandan ci�zens,
NGOs, businesses, and other private en��es;

•      Under the Poli�cal Par�es and Organiza-
�ons Act (2005), poli�cal par�es are required to
keep records of dona�ons, contribu�ons, and
property;

•       Funding by foreign and terrorist organiza-
�ons is clearly forbidden; however, there is no
legisla�on in Uganda to control the private funding
of par�es.
Plot 52, Edge Road Makerere University, Kampala Uganda

+256 393 206447
info@ppi.or.ug
www.ppi.or.ug

       Public Policy Ins�tute
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