This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
As Uganda gears up for its 2021 presidential election, concerns about the Electoral Commission's plan for virtual campaigns have sparked debate among potential candidates.
Former army commander Maj-Gen Mugisha Muntu has joined the fray, securing a ticket to represent his newly founded party after leaving the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
Other notable aspirants include former journalist-turned preacher Joseph Kabuleta, a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni's government, and former spy chief Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde.
Musician-turned politician Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, has been endorsed as the sole candidate for the People Power Movement's presidential ticket, while the main opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is reportedly courting its former president, Dr Kizza Besigye, to lead its effort.
Dr Besigye and Mr Bobi Wine recently launched a joint platform, United for Change, to push for political reforms.
President of the Democratic Party, Norbert Mao, has also thrown his hat into the ring, making his second attempt at the presidency.
According to Jotham Taremwa, spokesperson of the electoral commission, more than 40 individuals have expressed interest in vying for Uganda's presidency.
‘We have so far registered between 43 to 45 individuals who say they want to stand for the presidency. Majority of them are independent aspirants,' he said.
The growing number of aspirants for the top job is drowning out voices for a boycott, with one aspirant speaking off the record stating that challengers to President Museveni act with caution on calling for a boycott due to lack of sufficient support from the population.
Electoral commission chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, has sought to allay fears over the revised roadmap, stating that the revised plan is not fundamentally different from what was shared in December 2018.
However, General Mugisha Muntu has argued that factual scientific evidence must be the basis for decisions regarding mass rallies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
