Joshua Kitakule, IRCU Secretary General said that as religious leaders, they are much aware that a number of past general elections were characterized by violence cases which saw some people lose their lives while others sustain severe injuries.
The
Inter-Religious Council of Uganda – IRCU has called upon Ugandans to avoid any
acts of violence as the 2021 general elections draw closer.
The call was
made during a one-day dialogue on Monday that was attended by various political and religious
leaders from Kasese, Bundibugyo, and Kingdoms of Tooro and Bunyoro. The dialogue was held at Lisieux Guest Center in Nyabukara, Central Division, Fort
Portal Tourism City.
Joshua
Kitakule, IRCU Secretary General said that as religious leaders, they are much
aware that a number of past general elections were characterized by violence
cases which saw some people lose their lives while others sustained severe injuries.
Kitakule
explained that as a religious body, they can not sit back and watch as the
country goes into another general election, hence the call for peace, harmony
and tolerance to those with dissenting views regardless of political party
affiliations.
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want to…
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genuinely.”//
Saidat
Kaganda, the Fort Portal West Division Councillor and member of the IRCU added
that as religious leaders, they should also desist from engaging in partisan
politics as a way of avoiding conflicts and violence.
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interested candidates…
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bumazire kututaaha.”//
For his
part, retired Judge James Ogoola, the Chairperson of the Elders Forum Uganda,
which is working closely with IRCU, said the concluded party primaries showed
potential for violence outbreak or even death, a reason they are traversing the
country preaching peace.
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cannot sit…
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from Lango.”//
During the dialogue, a number of issues were raised concerning the willingness and
readiness of Resident District Commissioners- RDCs, who are heads of district
security committees, to avert violence.
In response,
the Kabarole Deputy RDC, Festus Bandeeba, explained that they are ready to
work with all stakeholders, including politicians, to ensure a peaceful
election period.
Bandeeba
said that if politicians cooperate with security agencies, there will be no cause
for unrest. He gave an example of two presidential aspirants namely Joseph
Kabuleta and Mugisa Muntu who he said were in different parts of Tooro but were
never disrupted because they complied with security guidelines.
Kitakule
said that after engaging with different groups of people in Uganda, they will
table their findings before the stakeholders that include the Electoral
Commission, the Police and the Judiciary so that the issues raised can be
handled in time.