A pan-African, membership-based civil society network and resource center promoting the right of access to information, transparency and accountability across Africa.
The State of Access to Information and Elections in Uganda
As Uganda prepared to go to the polls in February 2021, critical issues arose regarding the country’s preparedness towards this most important democratic process.
To enable an informed choice on the future leaders of the country, access to information is critical in the electoral processes. Uganda’s previous elections were characterized by lack of access to information by voters which resulted in low voter turn up, a significant number of spoilt votes, voters basing the choice on factors other than what candidates and political parties offer and contested results.
In this regard, the Africa Freedom of Information Centre conducted an analysis on the situation of access to information and elections in Uganda. It analyzed the extent to which regional treaties and standards on electoral transparency are reflected in the national legal framework and how they are applied in practice. The report focused on the standards set by the African Union Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (AU Guidelines) which were adopted during the 61st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on 10th November 2017.
The report identified several recommendations to address the challenges to electoral processes in Uganda.
A resilient, sustainable and inclusive Africa where everyone can exercise their right of access to information and development.