By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. On 9th August 2022, all eyes were on Kenyans as they voted for their 5th President, members of the National Assembly and Senate, country governors, and members of the 47 county assembly. The competition was between the number two in command William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza and the leader of the opposition Raila Odinga of Azimio la Umoja who was endorsed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party.
Observations
Kenya’s August 2022 elections, were generally peaceful and well organized from the campaigns to the voting day and the technology worked well, unlike previous elections that were characterized by long queues and widespread failure of voter identification technology, controversies, tensions, and violence during the counting of the ballots.
Observer’s statement
On 11th August the Joint African Union-COMESA Election Observers to the General Election in Kenya issued a preliminary statement on its assessment of the election. The Head of Mission and forme Siera Leone President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, who presented the statement said that the Mission through their observations of the 9th August 2022 Kenya’s elections were conducted in a comparatively peaceful environment.
The Joint African Union observers congratulated the authorities and Kenyans for their efforts toward holding successful elections and deepening democratic rule, which is a prerequisite for sustainable socio-economic development in the country.
Kenya Vs Uganda elections
Campaigns-These years Kenya’s general election campaigns were peaceful compared to Uganda’s 2021 general elections. During the campaign period in Kenya, there was no violence, no candidate was blocked from conducting their campaigns and there were no arrests and killings.
However, according to Human Rights Watch reports the campaigns in Uganda are always characterized by widespread violence and human rights abuses, including killings by security forces, arrests and beatings of opposition supporters and journalists, and the disruption of opposition rallies. In November 2020 more than 50 Ugandans were killed and many were arrested when they protested after rumors circulating on social media that one of the presidential candidates and opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobiwine was arrested.
Internet- In Kenya during the entire process of voting and ballot counting the internet was and still is on. This shocked many Ugandans who used Twitter and other social media channels to criticize internet shutdowns in Uganda and other African countries. In past Uganda elections, access to social media was severely limited before and several days over polling days. Even up to now Ugandans cannot access Facebook without using the Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Kenya Vs Uganda elections
Kenya’s authorities are being applauded by the Joint African Union-COMESA Election Observers for conducting peaceful 2022, elections this was not the same for Uganda after the 2021 elections. On Friday 16 April 2021, the United States announced visa restrictions to Ugandan government officials whose actions they believe interfered with the electoral process which undermined democracy and respect for human rights, during January presidential elections. The media statement which was released by Antony Blinken the US Secretary of State said that the government’s actions represented a downward trajectory for democracy and respect for human rights, and opposition candidates were arrested and held illegally without charge.
Counting information flow
Ugandans also used social media channels to express shock that Kenya is very public with election information. In Kenya, reporters were allowed in polling stations, and the media and the world are given access to constituency result forms, which are final unlike in Uganda where the Uganda Electoral Commission is the only one with access to result forms.
Kenya’s mainstream media are transmitting their provisional results live on television. Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had made public the forms 34A as they are uploaded by the presiding officers.
The transition of power challenge
Whereas Kenyans were voting for their 5th president, Uganda has never had a peaceful transition of power. All the past years since independence the peaceful transition of power is still elusive. Uganda is still entangled in cycles of bloodshed that have accompanied change from one regime to another. from. From President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the 1980s, the promise of national deliverance from the curse of violent government change is still alive. Some politicians, most especially from the opposition side have tried to debate about it for years but still, there is no change. President Museveni who has been in power for over 35 years believes that changing presidents is not the solution to Uganda’s problem.
Uganda’s ruling party reacted to Kenya’s peaceful elections.
Uganda’s ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) commended Kenya for holding peaceful elections. Emmanuel Dombo the NRM party director of communication while at NTV’s morning show appreciated the government of Kenya and the political candidates for the high standard of maturity exhibited in the elections.
Will Uganda copy notes
However, Mr. Dombo tasked the opposition to copy notice from Kenya’s opposition. Reacting to Dombo’s statement the National Unity Platform Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi scoffed at his remarks saying they are ill-intentioned.
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