A concerned citizen has petitioned court seeking to suspend all elections scheduled for 2021 in Uganda for five years until government gains control over the coronavirus disease.
In his suit filed before the High Court Civil Division in Kampala yesterday, Mr Abey Mgugu, wants court to declare a state of health emergency in the country and halt all elections until 2026 or otherwise.
Mr Mgugu claims that on reading the World Health Organisation (WHO) website, it was reported that coronavirus spreads through close contact with infectious person, contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze and touching objects or surfaces from an infected person.
“I reasonably believe that based on the nature of how coronavirus spreads, the Ugandan community will not freely exercise their political rights which are a crucial element of democracy due to the restricted movement and association,” Mgugu said.
The petitioner (Mr Mgugu) explains that he got to know the impact of the threat of coronavirus when he visited some public places like the Industrial Court, and Uganda Revenue Authority head offices at Nakawa, Kampala, among other places.
The respondents in the case are the Uganda Electoral Commission and the Attorney General (AG).