Calls To Nullify Refugee Elections in Kyangwali Refugee Camp, Uganda
Complaint against the parody of refugee election held in Kyangwali Refugee Camp of the Refugee Welfare Councils on April 17th, 2019. We request you to nullify those elections and hold fresh ones.
To;
The Commissioner,
Office of the Prime Minister,
Department of Refugees,
Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road,
Kampala Uganda
By Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
Executive Director,
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Friday, May 10, 2019(SSNN) — This letter is our support to the complaint which was submitted by Usiano Joseph a Congolese refugee living in Kyangwali camp which is on the attachment, aiming at challenging the elections of Refugee Welfare Councils. The refugee leadership in Uganda is too vital for the wellbeing of refugees and cannot be left t some few people. Our future as refugees in Uganda highly depends on the category of people who elect to lead and represent us.
Through our various interactions with you and other Officials and Officers of various actors and stakeholders in refugee affairs including donors and other development partners, and different refugee actors in Uganda there is a general consensus of having this time real refugee representatives elections. We all expect that such elections should be in line with national and universal principles of elections that means: Free and fair, inclusive, credible and democratic and must be conducted by an independent Electoral body.
We greatly thank OPM and UNHCR who have spearhead these elections over the years and who are working hard to ensure that refugees are effectively represented in the whole decision making process here in Uganda, we also wish that such exercise is speedup due pending other issues which need solutions. Credible elections of refugee representatives will innovate the current practice of picking “refugees who are friends” various actors in order to represent refugees, which is seen as a mere favoritism.
Through our phone call on Tuesday May 7th, 2019 on this election issues in Kyangwali Refugee Camp you seemed not so much informed about it. However through our other phone call on the Inter-Agencies Tollfree number on this issue the person who responded to our call argued that stakeholders in refugee affairs have been informed about various complaints on serious irregularities in these elections but no actions have been taken yet. We strongly oppose the secrecy in which such great work was conducted in and the monopoly of both OPM and UNHCR to select refugee leaders they want and then pass them through pretence of elections by clearly eliminating strong refugee voices in the camp. Information on our possession indicates that various officers in OPM, UNHCR and Implementing officers received complaints about these shortcoming but they opted to keep quiet, including the UNHCR Inspector General officers based in Uganda.
We have been informed that a culture of threats and intimidations have been maintained in the settlement in order to create fear among refugees and which have highly affected the right of refugees to express freely on issues which concerns them. Such practice focuses on vocal refugees who would have a different view on various issues and the objective is to silence them totally.
OPM and UNHCR who are actors with clear interests in refugee affairs cannot spearhead the elections of refugee representatives in Uganda, but also other parties who have interests such as Implementing Partners. The information we received indicated that such elections where organized by OPM, UNHCR and their implementing partners in Kyangwali Camp, our source of information indicated that so many refugees did not even know that there was elections, that refugees who are registered in Kyangwali but living outside the camp in urban areas for various reasons do not even know that there was elections, that most of the candidates are only refugees who are perceived as being backed up by various individuals within OPM, UNHCR and other implementing partners and that there was a deliberate move to eliminate popular and vocal refugees on the list of candidates, and as a result most of those ones who have been elected are friends to different stakeholders in the Camp. With such we do observe that there is no change from what have been before with led to various investigations.
Being convinced that Uganda Refugee Regime has more interest to build up a clean system which is based on the possibilities of refugees to participate in decision making through their true representatives and at the same time make strong criticism and strong recommendation on issues affecting refugees but also to have independent refugee leaders who can help in check and balance. We believe that OPM Department for refugees has the obligation to stand for credible elections among refugees due to the importance of this task.
We do therefore recommend the following to OPM, UNHCR and the partners:
To quickly and without delays effect the transfer of their staffs who are alleged to be involved in these elections, and put in place staffs who can protect all refugees in their diversity,
Immediately end threats and intimidations against vocal refugees in Kyangwali and put in place security and protection mechanisms for those who are targeted and who have “FEAR” for their lives in Kyangwali Camp now,
Nullify the so called election of the refugee Welfare Councils (RWCs) which was held in Kyangwali Refugee Camp and organize fresh one,
Come up with a countrywide roadmap for the election of refugee representative and popularize it among refugees in Uganda regardless of where they live,
Invite the Uganda Electoral Commission to conduct the election of refugee representatives in Uganda,
Bring on board qualified partners to conduct Refugee Civic Education, open up the space in various camps for refugees to meet freely without fear. Discourage refugees who act as intelligence officers in various refugee settings who report others to authorities even if they are in simple meetings within themselves and open the space for refugees to hold Assemblies and other forms of expression without fear,
Put strict measures in place against OPM, UNHCR and other implementing officers not to get involved or influence elections of refugee representatives either directly or indirectly, and hold accountable those who do not abide with such arrangement,
Hold consultative meetings with all refugees in inclusive manner on the kind of elections they would wish to have, the criteria and the effective communication strategies. There is no way a Sudanese can represent a Congolese refugees even if they are in the same camp because they do not have nothing in common and it is the same to other nationalities.
Publicize these elections in various ways through media TV, News Papers, Radio Stations, Posters, Announcement, Social Media, meetings and so many other ways,
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
Executive Director
Contact: ppdruganda@gmail.com
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