Dear Electoral Commission, warm greetings from the citizens who are expected to obey every electoral guideline you release even when you yourselves behave as if those guidelines were written for decoration.
As the campaign season heats up, Ugandans are left wondering whether you are actually the referees of this election or simply spectators who misplaced the whistle. Your silence on civic and voter education is now louder than a campaign van with broken speakers. When exactly do you plan to begin? Because as far as the public can see, the only “voter education” happening is WhatsApp forwards and TikTok explainers. Yet your own guidelines require clarity on campaign rules, timelines, and consequences before candidates hit the trail.
The situation gets even more comical when we turn to the campaign guidelines you issued. Yes, we have read them. In fact, many Ugandans have now read these documents more faithfully than you have enforced them. The Presidential Guidelines clearly state that campaigns should run strictly between 7:00am and 6:00pm and that candidates must avoid inciting or abusive language, bribery, or misinformation
Similar rules appear in the Parliamentary and Local Government guidelines as well. But what happens when a candidate breaks these laws? Should they be disqualified? Suspended? Given a polite warning letter? Do you flip a coin? Your guidelines list offences and penalties, but nowhere do you tell Ugandans how you will act on violations, leaving the public to interpret the law like a homemade puzzle.
Take the recent update from the West Nile region, where the NUP presidential candidate conducted a rally in Pakwach, moved to Madi-Okollo, and arrived at 10:00pm long after your official campaign hours had expired. No rally was held due to lateness, but the movement itself raises questions about compliance. And while Police provided detailed updates, the Electoral Commission maintained its famous posture: total silence. Where is your official statement on adherence to campaign time? Where is your monitoring report? Where is your authoritative voice in this process?
Ugandans need clarity. They need enforcement. They need communication. Most importantly, they need an Electoral Commission that is awake, active, and visible not one hiding behind dusty guidelines while the country navigates the election season blindfolded. This is a polite but firm reminder: do your job. The public is watching.