Zainab Ali

With only hours left for Ugandans to choose their leaders in the ballot on Thursday, Jan 14th, 2021, the Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga has told Ugandans not to shun the elections but show up and vote.

Addressing a presser at Bulange Mengo on Tuesday, ahead of the much-anticipated elections, the Katikkiro Mayiga said much as the campaigns had been marred by violence, bloodshed, and death, it is still important for Ugandans to choose their own leaders.

He said no Ugandan who shuns the elections should later rise up to discredit a leader or even hold them for lack of service delivery because they made a choice not to vote.

He says people who don’t cast the vote don’t have the moral authority to demand anything.

‘Conversely, if you don’t vote, you don’t have the moral ground to demand social-economic transformation or good governance because you didn’t cast your vote, because if you don’t vote the good people, the bad people will come through and whatever you deem the challenges of this country will go on unabated so we urge you to vote irrespective of the violence we have witnessed during the Electoral process

Mayiga says people should vote for competent leaders with maturity and based on their capacity to initiate solutions in the community,

”but as you vote, do so with a mature attitude, vote those people you think have the capacity first to identify the challenges we face, secondly, with the capacity to initiate solutions to the challenges we face, if you vote for the sake of voting or  pleasing someone or because you are given money, you will have only yourself to blame” he adds

Mayiga says Ugandans should not incite violence but remain peaceful.He also security agencies should also desist from the use of excessive force and exercise equality and professionalism.

”if the security agencies are professional, then they are going to deal with everyone in a similar manner all political actors should be handled similarly because the security agencies are professional, where they are not professional of course the public will notice where there is bais, where there is the use of excessive force or even outright killing like it has been witnessed during the campaigns, he said