Campaigns kick off today according to the EC plan.

By; Francis Lubega, Ben Musanje

09^th Nov. 2020

The Electoral Commission has officially cleared Presidential, Parliamentary and Local government candidates to start campaigns that are mainly virtual due to the need to protect the community from contracting Coronavirus.

The campaigns are to run from November 9^th to January 12^th 2021 for the presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The EC guidelines allow candidates to use all communication channels including social media networks to campaign and for the ordinary system of campaigning, only 70 members are allowed per the guidelines in a place that has been approved by EC in unison with the police to avoid putting supporters at the risk of contracting Coronavirus.

However the EC is said to have delayed to issue the Presidential candidates with the confirmed campaigning plan that has left many accusing EC over frustrating their exercise yet they have only 60 days to traverse the entire country to reach out to their supporters conversing for votes.

The NRM Presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta has started his campaigns in greater Luweero at Kawumu farm where a few selected leaders have been allowed access after testing for Covid-19.

The Presidential candidate for the Alliance for National Transformation ANT Mugisha Muntu is starting his campaigns from Makindye Division in Kampala district at Calendar rest house and up to now he has not yet reached the venue where he is to address the electorate but his team has expressed disappointment with EC for failure to approve their campaigning program in time according to their spokesperson Sulaiman Kakayire.

Meanwhile other presidential candidates, John Katumba is also launching his campaigns from Luweero, Willy Mayambala is going to Mukono, Buyikwe and its surroundings, while the National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi is leaving Kampala to Northern Uganda where he will start his campaigns tomorrow.

The NUP spokes person Joel Ssenyonyi says their candidate will start with Pakwachi followed by  Nebi and Arua before returning to Kampala then to other regional districts.

How’re Ssenyonyi urged police not to block their candidates under the disguise of fast asking for permission from police.

Supporters of the main opposition, Forum for Democratic Change – FDC in Soroti say that the heavy security deployment in the town will not scare them from their planned activities today.

FDC Party Presidential Candidate, Patrick Amuriat Oboi is expected to launch his manifesto in Soroti City today. But Police and the army have cordoned off Soroti Sports Ground, the venue for the launch. As early as 5:30am, heads of Police and the army in Soroti started briefing their personnel at the venue. By 7:00am, the security personnel were already conducting foot patrols in all major suburbs of Soroti City. They have limited access to Central Avenue Road and lined up personnel along the Soroti Main Streets and other major roads in the city. Jane Acen, the Chairperson of  FDC in Soroti District says the deployment cannot scare them.