The East African Community (EAC) has deployed 61 election observers to monitor Uganda’s general election.
The observers are part of the EAC Election Observation Mission (EOM) and were deployed following an invitation by the Ugandan government, in line with a directive of the EAC Council of Ministers requiring the bloc to observe elections in all partner states.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Kampala on Tuesday, the head of mission, Ms Edda Mukabagwiza, said the mission is guided by the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, particularly Articles 3 and 6(d), which emphasize adherence to democratic principles, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights.
The observers, drawn from six EAC partner states—Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Somalia—include members of the East African Legislative Assembly, officials from electoral management bodies, ministries of Foreign Affairs, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and the EAC Secretariat.
“The EAC observers will be deployed across selected regions of the Republic of Uganda and will engage with key electoral stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, political parties and candidates, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies,” Ms Mukabagwiza said.
She cautioned the observers against interfering in the electoral process, stressing that their role is strictly observational.
“We are here to observe and assess the electoral process in an independent, impartial and objective manner. We are not here to arbitrate political outcomes or pronounce results,” she said.
Ms Mukabagwiza added that the mission would observe the pre-election environment, the final stages of campaigning, polling and voting, the counting and tabulation of results, as well as the transmission and announcement of results.
She added that the mission would issue a preliminary statement after the elections, followed by a comprehensive final report to be submitted to the EAC Council of Ministers, the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders. EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to promoting credible election results.
“Once the results come out, we must accept that in any competition there will be winners and losers,” Ms Nduva said.
