The 2021 general elections will go on albeit in a different manner than we’ve been accustomed to. No mass gatherings! this according to the Uganda Electoral Commission.
“As a result of COVID-19 therefore, no mass rallies will be allowed before the elections, and aspiring candidates will campaign using different media platforms only. “My appeal goes to media owners to avail opportunities to all the candidates for fair coverage.” – EC Chairman, Justice Simon Byamukama.
This comes after consultations with the Ministry of Health on agreeable standard operating procedures to avoid the spread of COVID-19, to which the ministry gave a nod. However, voting will be in person and voters will be required to physically cast votes at their registered polling stations.
What does this mean for the 2021 general elections?
With mass gatherings banned, this means campaigning will happen on media platforms like radios and TVs akin to COVID-19 addresses held by H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, only this time around they will be about voter mobilisation than just safety. We’ve already seen increased usage of these media channels during the pandemic, so the timing couldn’t have been right than now.
Also, this will give an opportunity to digital media channels to thrive once again, after seeing an uptake during the lockdown. This won’t be the first Ugandan general election to use digital channels like social media to its advantage. The 2015 general election arguably was the first to see this with candidates like Amama Mbabazi launching their bids online to too much fanfare, the first televised Ugandan presidential debate taking over Twitter among others.
Also Read: Ugandans turn to VPN solutions after social media blackouts on some carriers on Election day
What social media brings to the table are larger numbers than the prior election and increased usage. However, of the 43M Ugandans, around 25% access the internet. This roughly translates to around 10.7M Ugandans and of these, only 2.5M have active social media accounts according to We Are Social’s recent digital report on the country.
