Despite millions more Ugandans registering to vote in the last six General Elections since 1996, more than three in every 10 of them don’t vote. This boycott rose to four out of every 10 registered voters choosing not to cast their ballots in the last elections in 2021.
Figures from the Electoral Commission (EC) shows that 4.3 million registered voters, on average, have boycotted the polls over each of the last six electoral cycles from 1996 to 2021. Electoral observers and political actors blame this increasing voter apathy on the growing lack of confidence in the electoral system.
They also blame the commercialisation of politics, dull messaging by political players, and low civic education. But officials from the EC have wiped the blame off their shoulders, saying they have always done their best.
The EC spokesperson, Mr Julius Mucunguzi, says the EC has conducted voter education at every election cycle, but the decision to turn up and vote lies in the hands of the registered voters.
‘Voting in Uganda is not compulsory, and no one will take you to court because you did not vote. We have done our part of voter education, where we show the people how to vote. Civic education is done by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC). No Ugandan will ever come up and say that I didn’t vote because I did not know that would be illegal, but they have their own reasons,’ he said.
Mr Mucunguzi lamented the absence of a law forcing all registered voters to turn up and vote. He said voter turnout is at the mercy of the voters.
‘That is why we always announce the results of elections based on the votes cast by those who turn up,’ he said.
Mr Mucunguzi added that the politicians are currently doing their role of encouraging their voters to turn up on the day of voting because the EC’s role is to manage the electoral process by organising the election and guiding voters, and not engaging in rallying voters.
Several political actors this newspaper spoke to said they have designed and are preaching strong, appealing messages to reverse the growing trend, which leaves a few people to decide the political fate of the 45.9 million Ugandans.
Ugandans under President Museveni have since gone to the polls under adult suffrage six times in 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and in 2021.
The 1996 polls, organised under the Movement system, attracted three candidates, namely incumbent President Museveni, who was backed by the National Resistance Movement (NRM); Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, a former Foreign Affairs minister under Museveni and Democratic Party leader, who ran under the Inter-Party Forces Cooperation (IPFC) banner, and Mr Kibirige Mayanja, who was affiliated with the Justice Forum (JEEMA).
A total of 8.4 million Ugandans registered to vote in the election, but only 6.1 million turned up for the actual voting, implying that 2.2 million voters, representing 27.5 percent, snubbed the polls. Even those who turned up did not vote properly because the EC’s May 9, 1996, Ugandan Presidential Elections Final Results indicate that 196,190 votes were invalid. But compared to all other five subsequent elections, the 1996 polls had the biggest voter turnout in comparison with the total number of Ugandans who registered to vote.
In 2001, a total of 10.7 million Ugandans registered to vote, which was an increase by 2.3 million from those who registered in 1996. But of the 10.7 million who registered, 7.5 million turned up, implying that 3.1 million voters, translating into 29.7 percent, snubbed the polls.
Ahead of the 2006 polls, the EC registered 10.4 million voters, with 7.2 million turning up for voting, but 30.9 percent snubbing the polls. The number of invalid votes also increased to 295,525, compared to 186,453 registered in 2001. In all six electoral cycles, 2011 registered the second-highest number of voter apathy because 5.6 million voters of the 13.9 million who registered did not turnout, representing 40.3 percent.
The number of invalid votes also rose to 334,548. In the 2016 election, in which Col (rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye last stood against the incumbent Museveni, the EC registered 15.2 million voters, of which 10.3 million turned out, but 4.9 million, representing 32.4 percent, snubbed the polls.
The 2021 General Election, despite attracting 18 million voters, the highest number since 1996, also had the highest number of voters boycotting the vote. Of the 18 million registered voters, only 10.7 million turned up while 7.3 million voters, representing 40.7 percent, snubbed the polls.
Why voter apathy?
Dr Juma Kakuba Sultan, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Kyambogo University, blamed the voter apathy on commercialisation of the vote, and detachment of the elite.
‘We have a class of the elite who sit in their offices and choose to detach themselves from the electoral process. For instance, a lawyer says he or she cannot go and vote for a Senior Six dropout to rule them. The monetisation is also a big issue, which is why you see people on polling day being given money to go and vote.,’ he said.
A human rights lawyer, Mr Hassan Male Mabirizi, argued that the existing fragile political climate, coupled with blackmail, voter bribery, and intimidation, discourages the participation of the majority of the voters who comprise the women and youth, especially the first-time voters who represent a significant portion of Uganda’s population.
‘A free and fair election doesn’t begin on polling day; it starts the day after the previous election ends. From the moment a new leader is sworn in, their conduct and the environment they create determine whether the next election will be credible. In functioning democracies, like the United Kingdom or even Kenya, politics is part of everyday life. You don’t often see police disrupting political meetings or arresting leaders for assembling,’ he said.
‘Just look at how the electoral commissions are set up in other countries. In Kenya, for instance, commissioners are interviewed in public, grilled, scrutinised, and selected transparently. But here, we have a one-man show. One individual appoints all the commissioners, and then they’re sent to Parliament for vetting, behind closed doors. Even journalists aren’t allowed to witness the vetting process of the very people who will manage our elections,’ he added.
Mr Erias Lukwago, the mayor of Kampala City, who is also the president of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) party, said the voter apathy stems from mistrust because Ugandans no longer believe in the election results.
‘Ugandans believe that a ballot has no value in changing the political landscape of their country, especially in the presidential election. So, the majority will end up boycotting the presidential elections and instead come for other elections,’ he said.
Political observers say reversing this trend will require more than just mobilisation, and will demand deliberate efforts to rebuild public trust and restore confidence in the democratic process.
Gen David Muhoozi, the State minister for Internal Affairs, said: ‘If we all do what we are supposed to do, we shall have a free and peaceful election. But all the actors must play their part, not just the security personnel. The public has both rights and obligations under electoral laws.’
He assured the public that the government has trained security personnel to act with professionalism, discipline, and respect for human rights. But he acknowledged the misbehaviour by some security personnel, urging the public to distinguish between the actions of individuals and the intentions of the government.
‘These misconducts are never acts of the government; they are the actions of individuals,’ he added.
Many Ugandans remain sceptical. The country has a troubled history of militarised elections, with accusations of state-sanctioned violence, harassment of Opposition figures, and suppression of dissent.
In both the 2016 and 2021 elections, security forces were widely accused of intimidating voters, violently breaking up Opposition rallies, and detaining political opponents.
The 2021 election was especially violent, following the arrest of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, in November 2020, which sparked nationwide protests and resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, largely at the hands of security agents. For the last three days, all the eight presidential candidates have not received gross cases of misconduct by the security forces except for minor scuffles that break out during the implementation of the campaign guidelines. Officials from different political parties yesterday acknowledged the gross voter apathy.
The Secretary General of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Mr David Lewis Rubongoya, said the party is banking on its strong campaign message to avert the situation.
‘We are preaching to them the importance of voting, especially through the protest vote, which will usher in a new Uganda where we are all treated equally without any discrimination. We are optimistic that the electorate, especially the youths, will pick up the message and turn up to vote on polling day,’ he said.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party presidential candidate, Mr James Nathan Nandala Mafabi, said he is preaching a strong campaign message and the importance of voting.
‘This country’s leadership can change if we all turn up and vote, and that is the message I am telling the people where I am campaigning because nothing will change unless we all come out and vote massively,’ he said.
Mr Lukwago said: ‘We are now fighting to ensure Ugandans regain their powers given to them by the Constitution in Article 1, which empowers them to decide on who should govern them, and once that is done, we shall restore people’s confidence in the elections.’
Mr Fred Ebil, the secretary general of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party, said Ugandans should vote massively so that the votes overwhelm and would be too big to be cheated.