On Monday afternoon, the Uganda Musicians’ Association Electoral Committee in partnership with the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U), held a press conference to demonstrate the UMA Elections Digital Voting System.
The voting system was co-developed to provide countrywide voting capability for UMA members via SMS/USSD. The decision to develop the digital voting system was taken by UMA’s Policy Board after it was determined that the high cost of physical elections was unattainable with UMA’s current financial stand.
As the elections draw closer, the voting system demonstration is part of a series of voter education campaign activities that are ongoing. The elections are scheduled for 6th June 2022. According to Mr. Geoffrey Ekongot, the Chairman of Uganda Musicians’ Association Electoral Committee, a transparent, free and fair election starts with providing information on the electoral process and that’s why as a team they decided to show the candidates and the general public how the digital system is going to work.
Joshua Akwandanaho, the Business Process Analyst at National Information Technology Authority -Uganda (NITA-U) had this to say,
“In modern electoral processes, information and communication technologies play a crucial role, whether used in voter registration, ballot casting, or processing of results. NITA-U will ensure that the voting system works and is secure to provide fairness to the democratic process. This demonstration will help stakeholders gain a broader understanding of how it works.”
The voter education campaign is ongoing in the media and member networks. Various activities are being conducted to engage members towards election day.
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