Electoral Commission Chairman Urges Youth Against Electoral Violence and Bribery
Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), cautions youth on the dangers of electoral violence and voter bribery during his address at the 2024 annual guild leadership summit. He emphasizes the importance of promoting peace and unity, urging youths to participate actively in national politics.
Electoral Commission (EC) chairman Justice Simon Byabakama has cautioned youth about voter bribery and violence and urged them to participate in national politics.
Byabakama said on Monday, April 15th , 2024, in his address at the 2024 annual guild leadership summit that youths should avoid being used as agents of violence during elections and instead promote peace and unity.
“Desist from acts of violence or from accepting to be used in episodes of violence, particularly during the electoral process. We urge you to become agents of peace, unity, and harmony in your institutions, political parties, communities, and our country,” he said.
He added that if the youth love their country, they must always strive to ensure that they promote peace and stability.
Byabakama also urged the youth to participate in national politics, noting that many youths were registered as voters in the recent elections, but some did not turn up to vote.
‘Young people constitute a significant demographic of our country, with people in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years making up close to 60 percent of our population. A total of 7,392,676 youths were registered for the 2020–2021 general elections, which makes up 40.8% of registered voters,” Byabakama noted.
The EC chairman said ‘participation of youths is a key ingredient’ in the electoral processes and reassured them of the commission’s commitment to have them engaged in electoral processes through sensitizing and lending out voting equipment to their institutions.
Justice Simon Byabakama was one of the keynote speakers at the 2024 annual guild leadership summit held at Makerere University’s Yusuf Lule central teaching facility.
The summit is an annual gathering where young leaders come together to inspire others and also share ideas on how to become better leaders.
