Preliminary Report by The Women’s Situation Room, Uganda, On the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Held On 14th January 2021
VENUE: Kampala
The
Women’s Situation Room Uganda opened on 11th January 2021 in Kampala at the Sheraton
Hotel, in Gulu at the Churchill Hotel, in Mbarara at Hotel Triangle and in
Soroti at Timisha Hotel led by 21 Eminent Women from Uganda, Ghana, Lesotho,
Liberia, Nigeria and Kenya.
The
Women’s Situation Room (WSR) is a non-partisan early warning and rapid response
mechanism against election-related violence or conflicts in Africa. In 30
districts[1] within
the Northern, Eastern, Central and Western regions, 3,000 WSR-trained women and
youth leaders have promoted peace and de-escalated tensions within their communities. 1,500 trained WSR women election observers observed the polling process and along with the public, reported
incidents likely to trigger violence to
the WSR call centre through the Toll Free Lines[2]. Eminent
Women engaged with key election stakeholders before polling day, observed the
voting process and worked with the Electoral Commission, Uganda Police Force
and Uganda Peoples’ Defense Force to ensure timely response to reported
incidents and to promote peaceful elections.
We
appreciate the support of the Ugandan people who through the WSR have sought to
report and resolve election related incidents peacefully.
KEY
OBSERVATIONS
Since
13th January 2021, the Women’s Situation Room Uganda has received
and dealt with 1,778 calls through
the call centre[3] in consultation with the
Electoral Commission, Uganda Police Force and UPDF. These were associated with
election-related logistical challenges, reported election malpractices,
ignorance or misinformation among voters and polling officials regarding procedures
and regulations, intimidation and violence. 40% of the calls sought information
on the electoral process and included general inquiries.
Eminent
Women observed at polling stations in Kampala, Soroti, Gulu and Mbarara and
found the following:
·
The Electoral Commission, security
personnel and the voters were peaceful and committed to exercising their rights
peacefully
·
Malfunctioning biometric machines and
late or incomplete delivery of voting materials delayed the start of the voting
process.
· Anxiety among voters whose names were not on the register and those who did not collect voter location slips. In some polling stations citizens without IDs were not allowed to vote.
·
Hand washing facilities and masks were
not seen at the polling stations, in some cases. However, COVID-19 prevention
procedures such as social distancing were not followed as there was crowding when
the numbers of voters increased. Some stations did not have water even when
they had water containers. Biometric machines were not sanitised between uses.
·
In polling stations within the East
and Northern regions, the elderly, pregnant women, and persons with
disabilities did not receive priority assistance to vote at the front of the queue.
·
The presence of armed security persons
at polling stations was intimidating.
·
The unfortunate level of violence against candidates and their supporters, which interrupted campaigns, created
tension and possible mistrust of the electoral process.
· Restrictions on the operations
of some civil society organisations and the arrest of some of their members.
· Presiding officers amicably handled the participation of the public in the counting of votes and got consensus on invalid ballots.
We congratulate Ugandans, particularly
the youth, for exercising their right to vote. We also commend the Electoral
Commission for the notable improvements in delivery and management of the
elections. We acknowledge the need for individuals and institutions to address
issues observed at this point of the electoral cycle, before the next elections.
We therefore recommend
·
Expanded voter education programmes to
reach citizens and communities.
·
Adequate training of polling officials
to adapt to increasing use of technology in elections.
·
Provision of a voting booth to ensure
secrecy of the ballot.
· Harness and build on the active
participation of the youth in the country’s political and electoral processes.
·
Government and civil society
organisations to train more women and youth observers and support the active
participation of WSR- trained youth and women Peace Advocates and Election Observers
across the electoral cycle and in peace building
We appeal to
·
Government, security agencies and
politicians to embrace a culture of peace and tolerance.
·
Government and the relevant
authorities to expeditiously address the issues associated with the arrests of
civil society members and the restrictions to their operations.
We appreciate the support from the Uganda Police Force, Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Electoral Commission, and the district Local Governments who provided their personnel to work with us in addressing incident reports in Gulu, Kampala, Mbarara and Soroti.
The
WSR Call Centre and Toll-Free line 0800 333 433 is still open and will
continue to receive reports throughout the forthcoming Local Government
Elections.
WSR was established during the 2011 Liberian elections and has since been successfully replicated in Senegal (2012), Sierra Leone (2012 and 2018), Kenya (2013), Nigeria (2015), Ghana (2016 and 2020), Liberia (2011 and 2017) and Uganda in 2016. In 2012 the African Union’s Gender is My Agenda Campaign endorsed WSR as a best practice. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was made the WSR Champion. In 2016, the WSR was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council as an effective mechanism for women’s intervention in conflict resolution and peace building.
For more information, please contact WSR Uganda:
Email: info@wsr-uganda.org |Twitter: @WSR_Uganda | Web:
www.wsr-uganda.org
[1] In the Northern region WSR covers Gulu, Amuru, Kitgum, Koboko, Arua, Lamwo and Nwoya.
Central region includes Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Luwero, Mityana, Sembabule and
Kassanda districts. Eastern region covers Serere, Iganga, Jinja, Mbale,
Katakwi, Bugiri and Soroti districts.
Hoima, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kasese, Ntungamo, Kabale, Rukungiri, Kanungu
and Rubanda in Western region.
[2]
0800333433
for Central
region; 0800333434 for Eastern region; 0800333435 for Northern region and 0800333436
for Western region
[3] 398 calls (22.3%
of total calls) in the East, 600 (33.7%) in Central, 449 (25.25%) in the West
and (331) 18.6% in the Northern region as of 16th January 2021