Ugandan citizens in North America want to vote abroad
Ugandans living in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico have added their voice to the chorus of other nationals living abroad to press government to allow them to cast their ballot from North America. PHOTO | file
What you need to know:
Ugandans living abroad play a crucial role in the economic development of the country and that denying them the right to vote is equivalent to “disenfranchising” them
Kampala. Ugandans living in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico have added their voice to the chorus of other nationals living abroad to press government to allow them to cast their ballot from North America.
The president of the Ugandan National North American Association (UNAA), Mr Brian Kwesiga, told Daily Monitor in an interview in Kampala on Monday that Ugandans living abroad play a crucial role in the economic development of the country and that denying them the right to vote is equivalent to “disenfranchising” them.
“Uganda should borrow a leaf from other countries - even in Africa - that allow their citizens to vote at their foreign missions abroad,” he said.
“This is our right and we feel and think we should not be left out.”
UNAA is the largest Ugandan - Diaspora association bringing together about documented 200,000 Ugandans living in the three North American countries. The association has been in place for 27 years.
Mr Kwesiga, in an interview regarding this year’s UNAA convention and trade expo to be held in New Orleans, in the Southeastern State of Louisiana in the US - between September 4 to 6 - said the issue of voting rights will be top on the agenda.
Ugandans in North America, he said, send back home about $500 million in remittances which gives them bargaining power.
“Two hundred thousand is a very big number. We think we can be regarded as a constituency.”
Speaking at the last UNAA Convention in Dallas, Texas, vice president Edward Ssekandi revealed that plans are in the offing to establish a fully-fledged department in the Foreign Affairs ministry to handle matters of nationals in the Diaspora.
He further revealed ongoing discussions on a document framework paper, the National Diaspora Policy, which will address extension of voting rights and participation to those in the Diaspora.
Ugandans in the Diaspora are estimated to be 1.5 million according to the 2009 UN Human Development Report. However, discussions on the Diaspora policy are still ongoing before it can be tabled in Cabinet for adoption.
Other countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and the USA, among others, allow their citizens to vote from anywhere during elections.
About the convention, Mr Kwesiga said they had lined up a number of local companies like NSSF, Umeme, PostBank, National Housing, to deliberate on furthering trade and investments to Uganda.(NMG)
