According to Tendai Mbanje, Governance and Election Expert at the University of Pretoria, the credibility of Uganda’s election is being undermined not just by voter intimidation, but by the systematic denial of information, which prevents citizens and observers from understanding what is happening at the polls.

Mbanje said that the nationwide internet shutdown has made it nearly impossible to track voter turnout, monitor polling stations, or verify results. Limited access to independent reporting forced reliance on state media, which tends to favour the incumbent, while sporadic satellite transmissions provided only partial glimpses of events on the ground.

Polling in urban areas began quietly with noticeable voter turnout, but technical failures with biometric machines forced a switch to manual voting in some locations, further delaying the process. Rural regions were particularly affected by the communication blackout, leaving citizens uninformed about how the election was proceeding.

Opposition leaders faced additional pressures. Bobi Wine, the leading opposition candidate, reported arrests of polling agents and alleged abductions of senior party officials, contributing to a climate of fear. He also highlighted the presence of heavily armed military personnel at polling stations, a step beyond the usual law-and-order role of the police, which many describe as intimidation.

Mbanje says these factors together, restricted communication, technical glitches, and coercive security measures, pose a serious challenge to the integrity and transparency of Uganda’s elections.

–ChannelAfrica–