Following a letter written by Mr. Francis Peter Ojede the Executive Director Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC), UMA Policy Board requested a meeting with UNCC, the Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development and National Culture Forum. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the far-reaching consequences of the letter.
According to Mr. Ojede, the letter was only intended to offer guidance on the elections, however some sections of the media and UMA members understood it to mean that it was an announcement to cancel the elections. This unintentionally demobilized our members from preparing to attend the polls. As the polls get closer, the Policy Board deemed it necessary to have a meeting with its primary stakeholders and partners to streamline communication regarding the elections.
The meeting was chaired by Commissioner Juliana Naumo from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development who requested the UMA team to bring her up to speed on the elections. She mentioned that although the ministry has been keenly following the elections, she had not received an official briefing from UMA and this meeting was a great opportunity for that.
The Policy Board team represented by Hon. Kiyaga Hillary briefed the commissioner on the background of the elections and the key decisions that led to the current election model adopted by the UMA Policy Board. The board members expressed their various concerns on the implications of the letter’s various interpretations that seem to have diluted the efforts of UMA in mobilizing its members to participate in the polls.
UMA’s legal counsel Silver Kyagulanyi explained the roles of the board to the commissioner and the various sections of the UMA constitution that empower it to organize the elections. He re-affirmed the need to recognize that UMA is private association, and that the government should play its role appropriately in supporting the private sector.
The key outcomes of that meeting were that; the commissioner was convinced with the Policy Board’s explanation regarding the rationale to organize the elections in Kampala and advised that we proceed with the elections as planned.
UNCC committed to issuing a press statement to clarify on its previous communication that may have led to some sections of the media and UMA members thinking that the elections have been cancelled. UMA maintains the election date is 28th June and members will have to come and vote from Kampala at the National Theatre.
