The opposition Democratic Party (DP) has called for the formation of the Electoral Commission Services Bureau to be charged with the vetting of electoral commissioners and ensuring the fairness of the commissioners’ work.
While addressing the press at the party headquarters, Ismail Kirya, the DP spokesperson, said that the service bureau will vet the commissioners and oversee electoral commission work as part of the electoral reforms the government is calling for ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“But if we continue living with all powers determining the establishment of the Electoral Commission, then we are doing a disservice to this nation,” Kirya stated.
He recommended that the government first establish the Electoral Commission Service Bureau, which will be tasked with publicizing of posts suitable for commissioners.
“The service bureau should advertise for these commissioner positions, and then it can be in a position to scrutinize the best candidates,” he added.
The Democratic Party also wants the president to pardon political prisoners like those sentenced during the 2021 elections, as he did for former National Social Security Fund Managing Director David Chandi Jamwa. Kirya further noted that these prisoners are young people who were jailed, not because they committed crimes but because of politics.
The call follows President Museveni’s appointment and re-appointment of the electoral commissioners, mandated to oversee the 2026 general elections.
