The East African Community Electoral Observer Mission this Friday 16th April submitted its report on the general elections in Uganda that were conducted in January this year.
Speaking in Bujumbura (Burundi) the head of the EAC observer mission and former Burundi president Domitien Ndayizeye praised the Ugandan government on how the elections were conducted.
“There were a few issues but generally the elections were conducted in a free and fair environment,” said Mr. Ndayizeye.
On January 18th 2021, the EAC Observer Mission released a statement expressing concern at the shutdown of the internet by the government of Uganda on the eve of election day saying that it infringed the freedom and right of access to information as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.
The former president disclosed that the mission was also negatively affected by the shutdown, as its field observation teams could not transmit their findings in time to the mission’s command centre in Kampala.
“Today is the moment to submit our report to the EAC Secretariat even if the report will be released Uganda’s Supreme Court already validated the results,” said Burundi’s former president.
Uganda’s incumbent president Yoweri Museveni won January general elections with more than 58 percent while his rival Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu aka Bobi Wine recorded 35 percent of the ten million people who voted according to the electoral commission.
Bobi Wine rejected the general elections result citing that there was fraud and elections weren’t conducted in a free and fair environment.
Uganda’s incumbent president Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986, he is expected to rule the country for another five years.
The National Unity Platform president Bobi Wine accused the Ugandan government of harassing, killing and arbitrary arrest his supporters before, during and after the general elections earlier this year.
Earlier this year Mr. Kyagulanyi filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing the Ugandan government of human rights abuses against protesters, human rights lawyers and politicians.
“A lot has been said on social media that people were beaten but I myself took the streets and roamed the city but I saw nothing,” said the head of EAC observer mission Domitien Ndayizeye.
The report from the observer mission is expected to be handed over to the EAC council of ministers before it is made public.