Aboneka Writes

The temperatures have risen towards the election time and this has triggered a number of effects have already been felt. Elections are meant to be received with very much excitement and warm hearts as it is the time for Ugandans to express their power, to audit leaders and pass them over to the next term of office. They should thus be handled with the greatest care and professionalism with dignity. Hardly before even nominations take off, people are fighting, witch-hunting others just because of divergent views over who their favourite candidates are or because of their difference in political parties affiliations. I am at pains that what should be a very peaceful process turns out to be the most violent process! It is the time when Police excesses are witnessed, opposition candidates pounced upon and while the ruling party continues to thrive while opposition is suffocated. To add salt to injury, is that the political leaders suffer less of this violence, it is the so called voters

The transition question has always been read as referring to one person, Museveni and NRM a thing that has silenced discussion on the same. Transition, peaceful transition that is, embeds the entire country and as such, every Ugandan has to think, discuss, debate and opine about it. The most critical facet of democracy is change, and change that is peaceful and unfortunately for Uganda, change has always been viewed in the negative thus the "No Change" slogans have always filled the air. However, transition is not about an individual, it is about a system; that is why we talk about restoring term limits as one of the avenue of preparing or embracing peaceful transition. Term limits are not and should not be seen as targeted to an individual but rather to reform the system. Those who repealed the term limits were perhaps looking an individual and their own selfish gains! Why cant we talk about the next president after Museveni, the next "Governing" party, the nex

Since Uganda became a multiparty dispensation, the struggle of parties has seemingly grown! The sole purpose to transit from Single party politics to multiparty politics was to allow the thriving of democratic competition which is very healthy for any democracy. By and large, one can say that it is evident that Uganda is a multiparty dispensation if they choose to go by the data. I last checked and we have about 29 registered Political parties in Uganda and to most of them, I have never heard about! If one chooses to go by the data that Uganda has 29 political parties, they would quickly pass if for being the most democratic! However, given all these political parties, Uganda still runs as a single Political dispensation! The NRM has consolidated itself into power for the last 30 years and the "Multi party dispensation has seemingly died off! Of course there are opposition parties that have stood the test of time to challenge the status quo but whether they have been allowed sa

The campaign season is the season for everything: lies and truths! Every candidate is fighting hard to present themselves as the best candidate before the public eye! We have 8 Presidential candidates but one crowd: 35 Million Ugandans, these don't change, they are constant, therefore, it is always the same crowds but different faces appearing to them! I have keenly followed the campaign trails and have observed interesting issues! In fact, one may mistake the campaigns to be a christian crusade where the type of conversation in a monologue: There is one preacher and the congregants whose contribution or response is saying "Amen!" The Campaigns literally are supposed to be conversations between the voters and their upcoming leader! Not a an evangelism event of sorts like I see nowadays! The candidate will take the stage, speak all the good things about themselves, and speak all the bad things about the others and then all of a sudden, you here the crowds chanting slo

Barely a few days before Ugandans go the polls, the political arena worsens daily! From the political candidates to the voters, everyone seems to be in a survival mode! The conflicts and violence arising out of the various camps is also costing a lot as a country and unfortunately, some of these are sparked off by the candidates. There is no longer nothing to admire about politics as those who call themselves politicians run their camps as projects! Of recent there have been exchanges which one would term as " a cold war" between President and Candidate Museveni and Amama Mbabazi over their supporters' mischief. The very arrogant gestures leave nothing but worries especially to the young generation who unfortunately have allowed to be manipulated at the expense of their lives. The Police's involvement and seemingly rally behind one candidate is very evident and as such, one wonders whose allegiance they serve: is it for the public good or the chosen few? The even

As we near the long awaited polling day, security and non-violent processes have been emphasized by all categories of people; the Civil Society, Religious Leaders, Political candidates among others. What is not yet clear is the question of the Crime preventers! Who are they? How many are they? Whose purpose are they for? To whom do they pay allegiance to? What law establishes them? Which budget facilitates them? There are so many unanswred questions about the crime preventers. What is sadly ironical is that the amount of electoral violence escalates daily even with the presence of the crime preventers! We believe in a secure and peaceful society but we also believe in a just and transparent society! The crime preventers have fallen short of two tests: Their legal establishment and their purpose, I do not think a crime preventer happily dressed in a yellow Museveni T-shirt is intended to protect the community regardless of their political affiliations. As a country, we need to beco

It is just a few days to the long awaited day, February 18th where Ugandans will be casting their votes to draft new or extend the existing social contracts with their leaders of choice. This is a unique opportunity for every one because it is the time where you not only exercise your power a a citizen of Uganda but you also shape the destiny of this country. It is the duty and responsibility of every citizen of 18 years of age and above to participate in the electoral process of Uganda by casting their vote to choose the kind of leaders they desire and deserve. While casting the vote is your duty, it is also your responsibility to cast the right vote and therefore this calls for a thorough decision that must not be impromptu on the polling day. When we vote, we have the power to put our leaders to account and that is why our constitution allows us to recall our leaders if they are not performing as according to their obligations. We must also vote issues, leaders that portray poten