Uganda must embrace a fair electoral process

Even before Yoweri Museveni had been declared President, observers of the Ugandan elections were unequivocal. They concluded that the process was unfair, lacked credibility and was marked by irregularities.

But this deduction had been expected after the main opposition candidate Kizza Besigye was arrested three times as the tallying was going on. According to the 13-nation Commonwealth Observer Group led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, voter bribery and the misuse of state resources undermined the electoral process. The observers also raised issues about the competence, credibility and ability of the Electoral Commission to conduct fair elections and were particularly unhappy with the delays of supply of voting material to polling stations, particularly in Kampala.

Yet such election infractions are common in Africa. By and large, most African countries have made a transition where there are cyclical elections that pave way for grassroots and nationals leaders to be elected to form representative governments under the duly elected head of state. However, even though these elections are held within legally-prescribed intervals, some of these elections — like the Ugandan case has demonstrated — are seldom, credible. Often times violence has resulted when the outcome has been disputed, and Kenyans are only too familiar with such consequences from the lessons learnt in 2007/2008. After more than 1,000 deaths in Kenya’s 2007 General Election, recommendations for electoral reforms have largely been implemented, but mischief and mutual suspicion of the protagonists is undiminished.

It is not just elections that invite violence as recent events in Burundi demonstrated. Here the controversy over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s term limit led to an abortive coup d’etat and sporadic killings as the Bujumbura government cracked down on demonstrators.

Africa is replete with such examples. Yet the continent provided one of the best examples of a leader who readily gave up power so that others could carry the leadership mantle. Nelson Mandela resisted pressure to run for a second term and graciously allowed others to take over after being elected as the first black president in post-Apartheid South Africa.

African leaders must borrow from this legacy to create democratic institutions. History has demonstrated that leaders who hold on to power even when their time to relinquish office has come, do a great disservice to those they govern.