The government has been urged to expedite the process of carrying out a mass sensitization campaign among citizens about their civic rights to the electoral process such that they can effectively make informed voter decisions a head of 2026 general elections.
The call has been made by civil society actors, demanding that the government honors its constitutional obligation of sensitizing the voters about their rights to a free and fair electoral process.
Members are concerned that government has not yet done enough ground work of sensitizing the population about the entire electoral processes and notwithstanding carrying out reforms as directed by the supreme court in 2021.
The executive director of Foundation for Human rights Initiatives [FHRI] Dr. Livingston Sewanyana said that electoral commission is mandated to do this work of sensitizing the masses about their roles in participating in the electoral processes so as to realize a smooth, violence free, fair and credible electoral process.
“We call upon the government through the electoral commission to ensure that it carries out its constitutional obligations of conducting a free and fair election in the country by ensuring that all stakeholders to the process are sensitized such that they understand the implications of elections’ noted Sewanyana.
He particularly challenged parliament to ensure that the necessary electoral reforms needed are expeditiously handled timely without delay if the voters are to appreciate their efforts.
‘The pre- electioneering years has come and it is clear nothing much in terms of civic education, policy electoral reforms and a clear budget for the election process was in place yet the time is ticking away’ warned Sewanyana adding that all stakeholders in government must urgently put their house in order to avoid negative consequences during and after the elections.
He expressed concern that government has not effectively organized the electoral commission in ensuring that political parties are on track in terms of registration, verification, campaigns, voting days, results tallying and transmission processes and systems and declarations among other activities despite having released the 2026 roadmap,
Others are aligning the NGOs which are mandated to support the electoral commission in executing its mandate as well as the security agencies roles in the entire process as all these multiplicities of players are key in bringing about a free and fair credible election which adds value to the development agenda of the country’s future leadership systems.
