Uganda Elections 2021: Ugandans Go to Poll to Elect New Leader

The Ugandans go to poll today in search of a new leader that would lead one of the youngest countries in Africa for the next five years.

The presidential race is mainly between the 38 years old musician turned activist, Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine and the 76 years old enduring incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni.

Robert Kyagulanyi, known by his stage name Bobi Wine, asserts that he is representing the country’s younger generation, while Mr Museveni says that he is standing for stability.

This year’s election is not without its expected share of violence, high-handedness and suppression of political opponents as dozens of people have been killed in the run-up to the election.

The Internet in Uganda has been shut down in the run-up to the election.

How severe is the shutdown?

Ugandans are not able to get online and they are having problems sending and receiving text messages.

Earlier in the week, the authorities ordered the blocking of social media, messaging apps and certain sites for virtual private networks (VPNs) which people use to get around social media blocks.

The Ugandan authorities appear to have ordered internet providers to shut down the whole internet at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on the eve of the election, according to a letter shared by the freelance journalist Samira Sawlani.

In the letter, which has not been verified, the Uganda Communications Commission orders internet providers to “implement a temporary suspension of the operation of all your internet gateways and associated access points”.

While it said the order was temporary, the letter did not state when the suspension should end.

The internet access advocacy group Access Now has urged telecoms providers to challenge the order, saying they should be “enablers of human rights, not gatekeepers”.

What You Should Know About today’s Election

Polls were due to close at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) but will remain open until everyone in the queue at the time of closing has voted.

Some polling stations did not open for close to two hours and voters in the queue had grown angry and had started shouting at the polling gate officials.

Some polling booths are experiencing a delay in the arrival of the ballot papers.

The result of the elections is not expected until Saturday.

How will results be transmitted without the internet?

Coronavirus guidelines on social distancing and handwashing are proving hard to implement but in Kibuli, which sits in the shadow of downtown Kampala, everyone queuing up is wearing facemasks.

There are reports that a new biometric system to verify people’s identities is not working in some areas. The electoral commission’s spokesperson would not confirm whether this was because the internet has been cut off.

There are questions about how results from around the country will be transmitted to the national tally centre in Kampala without the internet. The electoral commission said it has systems in place to do this but didn’t explain further.

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What security measures have been put in place?

Ugandan police promised they would deploy officers on rooftops of the capital Kampala on polling day, which they say comes after opposition activists commanded protests from rooftops in November when more than 50 people were killed after Bobi Wine was arrested.

Mr Museveni warning against Violence

“If you try to disturb the peace, you will have yourself to blame. The security forces, following the law, are ready to deal with any troublemaker,” he said in a televised speech wearing military fatigues.

Violence has been at an unprecedented level.

Security forces cracked down on gatherings ahead of the election and dozens have been killed.

The government says the ban on gatherings was to prevent the spread of coronavirus while the opposition says it was a smokescreen for repression.

Bobi Wine and others out of the 10 opposition candidates have been arrested on several occasions.

Has the Election been fair?

It depends on who you ask

The government has previously said the election would be free and fair.

But the US cast doubt over the electoral process and withdrew its election observers after most of its accreditation requests were denied.

In response, Mr Museveni’s spokesman Don Wanyama tweeted that there were observers from the African Union and East African Community.

“I don’t remember when Uganda last sent election observers to the US,” he added.

Bobi Wine has called on voters to remain at polling stations on Thursday and use their mobile phone cameras to record the tallying process in an effort to prevent vote-rigging.

Who is Yoweri Museveni?

Mr Museveni is standing for a sixth elected term in office, as leader of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

He came to power on the back of an armed uprising in 1986 and has long been depicted to Ugandans as a liberator and peace bringer.

But he has managed to maintain his grip on power through a mixture of encouraging a personality cult, employing patronage, compromising independent institutions and side-lining opponents.

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Who is Bobi Wine?

Bobi Wine is widely thought to be the strongest of the 10 opposition candidates in the presidential race.

The 38-year-old reggae star is known by his supporters as the ghetto president.

His party, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party campaigns for basic needs like improving access to healthcare, education, clean water and justice.

Over the last two decades, Bobi Wine’s musical output has been filled with songs about these issues and they have inspired a fervent following.

He grew up in Kampala’s Kamwokya slum where he went on to build his now world-famous recording studio.

The internet has been cut off in Uganda as voters cast their ballots in a hotly contested election.