Electoral Commission should help stop increasing incidents of violence

COMMENT | Crispin Kaheru | It is unfortunate that political campaigns are becoming volatile, with incidents of violence. Campaigns are supposed to be civil, to help political candidates to popularize their manifestos.

The running battles between security, candidates and supporters however can’t permit stakeholders to harness the real meaning of the campaigning period.

Some of the actions of security agencies are very high-handed, reckless and could result in fatalities – if not checked. In some instances, the behavior of candidates’ supporters is provocative.

It is unfortunate that many candidates and their supporters are not paying attention to the SOPs designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

It is prudent at this point that the Electoral Commission (EC) stops barking and begins to bite.

The EC from now onwards must impartially crack the whip on errant security officers as well as candidates and voters who engage in any form of electoral malpractices and unprofessional behavior.

This is the time for EC to strictly enforce the political parties Code of Conduct. Candidates should equally lead by example at all times; but most importantly control their supporters.

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Crispin Kaheru is a Ugandan Socio-Political Commentator, and independent elections expert

Twitter: @ckaheru