The Electoral Commission (EC) recently wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martin Okoth Ochola demanding to know why the force he leads has continuously interrupted campaign meetings of opposition presidential candidates.
In a letter dated November 26th, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission says that he received several complaints from the candidates expressing dissatisfaction over the continuous interruption of their meetings by the police.
Byabakama’s letter says that the action by the police have caused unnecessary confrontations which have portrayed the campaigns in a negative way. “As you are aware after the nomination exercise, presidential candidates harmonized their respective campaign programs covering the entire country…Please note that conducting campaigns as per the harmonized program is a recognized activity under the Presidential Elections Act and the Roadmap of the 2021 general elections,” Byabakama’s letter reads in part.
It adds that presidential candidates have a right to move and access the designated venues for as long as they comply with the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the Electoral Commission that limits to 200, the number of people to attend a political meeting.
Now, the IGP has responded to Byabakama’s letter.
Ochola says they are not in the position to address the raised queries because in the letter neither the names or the dates, locations and other necessary particulars of the alleged disruption are mentioned anywhere.
The IGP noted that as police force, they will be in a position to make specific response to the allegations once the particulars are made known to them.
“As you rightly pointed out, it is the role of the Police to ensure that the electoral activities take place in accordance with the law and the guidelines.This is a shared role.The Uganda Police Force, on its part, has spared no effort to ensure that the Electoral and Public Health laws and guidelines are followed by all candidates and this has been done in the face of of extreme provocation by some of the candidates . We look forward to your cooperation in ensuring that all candidates follow the law in the campaigns especially given the grave public health consequences of allowing large public gatherings in the middle of the pandemic,” IGP Ochola said in a letter dated 27 November, 2020.
“We shall be pleased to receive the specific details of the allegations as soon as possible to enable us respond.”
Meanwhile, for over two weeks that presidential candidates have been campaigning, they have been met with the brunt force of the police force and other security forces. Wherever candidates especially Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Patrick Amuriat Oboi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) have gone, they have been teargassed, or even arrested after clashing with the police especially in regards to campaign venues.
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