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By Julius Mugaga/ KMA Updates
Kampala, Uganda.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) in partnership with Center for Constitutional Governance has come up with National Elections Data Portal to help different stakeholders take positions regarding Uganda elections.
The Institute has traversed all regions of the country analyzing the portal amidst representatives of different political players and parties for them to clearly understand their performance in the successive elections by region, gender, turn up and other dynamics for further re-organization.
However the portal currently captures presidential datasets, it does not encompass Members of Parliament and Local Council datasets.
IRI clarifies that the results in the portal are as per the Uganda Independent Electoral Commission, therefore they are not responsible for any results published in the portal as their mandate is to analyze it for the would be users.
Taking a case study of 2021 general elections,
Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni emerged the victor with 58.38% dominating regions of Western and North Eastern whereas Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu coming next with 35.08% dominating Central region others followed.
Kampala registered the highest number of Invalid votes compared to districts like Pakwach in the Eastern Region.
Over 18 million Ugandans registered for the 2021 elections but about 10 million and a minimal number turned up on the Election Day.
Many more facts have been displayed in the portal, one can visit the website nationalelectionsdataportal.com for more facts about different issues that trended in the recently concluded Presidential Election.
Mugga Mable, the Program Assistant at International Republican Institute (IRI
Presenting during the National Stakeholders Meeting organized by Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG), Mugga Mable, the Program Assistant at International Republican Institute (IRI) highlighted that the portal should help different stakeholders like Political players, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and others internalize and assess the issues therein for their way forward regarding their missions.
Since the institute does not reserve the accuracy and inaccuracy of the National Election Portal, one is free to come up with any conclusion regarding. “Mable stressed”.
She stressed that the institute began collecting data in 2006 since it is the year Uganda had the first multiparty general elections
Sarah Birette,Executive Director Centre for Constitutional Governance.Courtesy Photo
Speaking at the same event, Sarah Birette the Executive Director Centre for Constitutional Governance applauded the Institute for being at the forefront of publicizing the portal and believes the training has set a baseline for all who would like to further analyze it.
She showed discontent with the way CSOs were mistreated especially Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CCEDU) whose observer mission in the recently concluded general Election accreditation was denied and the closure of National Election Watch-Uganda (NEW-U) closure to polling dates as it causes suspicion in the data portrayed by the government Agencies.
Asked about the authenticity of the rumored Constitutional reform to Parliamentary System of governance, Birette regarded as circus but when the time reaches, the following have to be done;
there must be a genuine reason backing the need to make such amendments,
there should be clear observation of the clauses as the parliament is limited to some, others being for the people of Ugandan through a referendum.