The opposition Democratic Front (DF) party has launched a spirited campaign to awaken Ugandans to appreciate the relevance of pushing for the realisation of constitutional and electoral reforms as one of the ideal vehicles towards meaningful political transition in Uganda.
On Monday, the DF officially launched campaigns for candidates for its Members of Parliament and local government leadership positions at Kaswa Trading Centre in Kimanya-Kabonera Division, Masaka City.
Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, the DF President and MP for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, indicated that they are leveraging the campaign to sustain their pursuit of constitutional and electoral reforms as a vehicle towards political transition.
The Constitution in its current form, he says, can hardly deliver political change from the current regime of the NRM government, which he argues deliberately entrenches the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for nearly four decades now.
He indicated that, on their priority list, if trusted with leadership in the next term of office, the MPs on the DF ticket will dedicate much effort to ensuring that the proposed constitutional reforms are considered by Parliament.
“When we presented the proposed reforms in the current Parliament, we did not get the opportunity to have them debated due to various limitations, including time and the absence of goodwill and appreciation of the relevance of the bills by MPs in the opposition. However, we have now assembled a team of people with a better understanding of that agenda. As soon as the next Parliament convenes, it will find us ready to shape the debate,” he noted.
In the proposal, Mpuuga envisions reinstating in the Constitution the presidential age and term limits, reforming the electoral laws to enable the declaration of presidential results at district levels, and synchronising the voters’ register to eliminate the possibility of multiple voting.
The others are the introduction of advanced devolution of powers to empower regions or local governments to perform key responsibilities in service delivery, and allowing citizens in the diaspora and inmates on remand to participate in elections, among other reforms.
He is optimistic that once the proposals are adopted as law, they can help change the country’s political trajectory and facilitate the realisation of a meaningful transition.
On the other hand, Mpuuga called upon the electorate to critically listen to the campaign messages of all candidates that seek their audience, but be courageous and ask them key questions in a bid to test their appreciation of the country’s aspirations.
“We appeal to you to support change-seeking forces, but you also have a duty to differentiate between those that are genuine and those with unclear and unreasoned agendas, and accordingly shun them,” he said.
Doctor Abed Bwanika, the MP for Kimanya-Kabonera Division, used the campaign launch to caution against being lured by selfish individuals into unnecessary confrontations with state security agencies, which may lead to imprisonment.
“We would not wish to see a repeat of the 2021 election, in which our people in their hundreds were thrown into prisons and others badly maimed. That is not part of our intentions as leaders,” he noted, thereby urging against deserting workplaces for campaign caravans beyond their localities.
Besides the push for reforms, Bwanika promised that in the next term of office, he intends to focus more on programs that improve the lives of people and attract more government support.
The Masaka City Woman MP, Juliet Kakande, highlighted to the electorate the major projects they have managed to deliver in this term to warrant the extension of their mandate for the next five years.
Some of the projects delivered include tarmacking of various town roads, reconstruction of Masaka Recreational Grounds, major renovation of Kaddugala Secondary School, construction works at St. Anthony Kayunga and Kijjabwemi Secondary Schools, installation of streetlights, and ongoing construction of the Kyotera-Mukukula Highway, among other projects that she said would not have been possible without their concerted efforts as MPs.
