The election commission chairman of Uganda has announced a ban on campaign rallies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, urging candidates to use media channels instead to get their messages to voters for public health safety. Uganda’s health ministry has reported over 800 case confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths
The elections are scheduled to hold in Uganda between January 10 and February 8, 2021, will be a tough contest between Yoweri Museveni and Bobi Wine, a pop star who has remained a staunch opposition figure.
A look at the history of campaign/media bans in Uganda could point more to the restrictive hands of authoritarianism than curbing the spread of disease. Reuters Africa reports that opposition parties have previously complained about restricted access to broadcast media, especially in rural areas where they say security agencies bar them from appearing on political shows.
In 2011, the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation refused to air Dr Kizza Besigye’s advertisements during the presidential campaign despite being paid for the airtime. Besigye had challenged Mr Museveni for the presidency up to three times and has been arrested over four times since 2011.
On the President’s instructions, on Election Day, 18 February 2016, authorities blocked access to social media and mobile phones. The block was on social media was only lifted on 21 February 2016 and then imposed again on 12 May 2016, during the President’s inauguration.
President Museveni made it illegal to hold any demonstration in the country before his re-inauguration. Banning any demonstrations about the election results and curbing media from reporting live on opposition activities. Citizens could not access social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, key platforms used by journalists to circulate news.
On 27 February 2016, Abubaker Muhamed of the Daily Monitor and five other journalists were arrested while covering the arrest of Kizza Besigye outside his home.
On 13 September 2016, 25 women representing different CSOs were arrested as they assembled to hand over a petition to the Speaker of Parliament on proposed constitutional amendments to lift age limits for judges and electoral commissioners.
In September 2019, the Uganda government designated the red beret as official military clothing that could bag members of the public who wear them, lifetime imprisonment. Banning the signature uniform of leading opposition figure Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu) and his supporters.
Silencing the media and clamping down on opposition voices through arrests and restrictive legislation by the state have become commonplace in Uganda where young people like Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Kizza Besigye and Joel Ssenyonyi continue to challenge the oppressive system. “No amount of intimidation will make us fear to exercise our rights,” Mr Ssenyonyi told Aljazeera.
Museveni has been in power in 1986 and appears unwilling to step down from his 30-year rule. Will the resilence of Bobi Wine and his allies loosen his grip on power?
Analysts at the Crisis Group have suggested national dialogue over presidential succession, enactment of reforms to the police force and seizure of funding to projects that help perpetuate political patronage by international donors.
