The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Candidates from across the political divide have said that the juts concluded 2020 -2021 campaign season has been the most expensive they have ever encountered.
The campaign period for Presidential and Parliamentary candidates in the 2021 General Election kicked off on the 9th of November 2020 and ended on Tuesday.
At the onset of the election campaigns, the Electoral Commission issued guidelines in line with measures to control the spread of Covid-19. The guidelines banned physical rallies and restricted town hall meetings to 70 people. This number was then revised to 200 people per meeting.
The Mukono South MP Johnson Muyanja also NRM flag bearer notes that the door to door campaign has proved to be very expensive.
Muyanja who is running for a second term says the ravaging effects of COVID-19 on the economy have left the people expecting a lot of money from potential leaders who were soliciting for their vote.
The field coordinator of the FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat’s campaign, Roland Kagina Mugume says it was not fair to be required to pay between 1 and 2 Million Shillings for an hour of airtime on radio or Television.
The Kasese Municipality MP Robert Centenary and a former FDC member now running as an independent, says the media was mainly inaccessible due to the high cost of airtime. Centenary is running for a second term.
The Kabula County MP John Kakooza a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement Party states that the scientific nature of the election further increased the cost of campaigns because candidates had to hold several meetings instead of organizing rallies.
He adds that the electorates do not understand why they are voting for particular leaders and are only looking out for material benefits and money.
He says the voters looked at this campaign period as a season to squeeze candidates for money.
Kakooza states that the voters are unaware of the roles of leaders in the various elective positions, he believes that the Electoral commission should always endeavor to carry out voter education to cover these issues.
Centenary laments the decision by the Electoral Commission to suspend campaigns in COVID-19 high-risk districts including Kasese.
Centenary says it’s quite frustrating that the ministry of health issued COVID-19 guidelines for campaigns but the Electoral Commission went ahead and issued a blanket ban on campaigns in COVID-19high risk districts.
He remarks that the whole campaign period has been conducted without rules and that the chairperson of the Electoral Commission is a disgrace.
********
URN
