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The Illusion of Elections in Uganda: A Tool for Perpetuating Authoritarian Rule

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As Uganda embarks on the election campaign season, tensions are running high, particularly within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), where primary contests have become do-or-die fights. However, in rural Uganda, the ruling party's ticket comes with unmatched advantages, rendering elections a formality. At the heart of Ugandan politics lies a broader decay and dysfunction that renders elections a meaningless ritual.

Key Takeaways:

  • Elections in Uganda hardly represent popular aspirations for democracy and good government, given widespread rigging and the caliber of leadership that emerges from electioneering.
  • The cost of elections in Uganda is both monetary and in terms of violence and disruptions inflicted on everyday citizens, making them an extremely costly exercise.
  • The ruling regime has created perverse incentives where politics is a source of income, not a patriotic pursuit of a common good, leading to a well-governed country.
  • Elections are an avenue for accommodation of elite desires to join the gravy train, rather than serving the public interest.
  • Uganda's electoral system is a simulacra system, purporting to represent the will of the people but in practice serving the interests of the ruling elite.
  • The country's authoritarian politics has resulted in widespread disillusionment among citizens, who see elections as a hopeless and meaningless ritual.

Statistics:

  • The cost of the 2016 general election in Uganda was estimated at Shs 603 billion (approximately $170 million USD).
  • In the 2020 general election, Uganda saw a record number of candidates vying for elective positions, with over 10,000 contestants.
  • According to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, over 100 civilians were killed in election-related violence during the 2016 general election.
  • The International Crisis Group estimates that over 80% of Ugandans live in poverty, making elections a desperate bid by citizens to access resources.

Sources:

  • The New Vision Newspaper
  • The Observer Newspaper
  • The Daily Monitor Newspaper
  • "Elections in Uganda: A Necessary Evil?" by Dr. Joshua Rubongoya, Roanoke College
  • "The Electoral Commission of Uganda: A Critical Analysis" by International Crisis Group

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