Uganda’s electoral credibility at stake, sociologists warn

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Ahead of the 2026 general elections, the Uganda Sociological and Anthropological Association (USAA) has underscored the importance of strengthening Uganda’s electoral process, pointing to past experiences that have raised concerns about transparency and credibility.

In the recent Kawempe by-election, the electoral process was marred by violence, ballot stuffing, and security brutality against both journalists and civilians.

USAA president Titus James Twesige noted that Uganda's elections have been fraught with controversy, violence, and allegations of rigging since the country gained independence in 1962.

“The 2021 elections, held during the Covid-19 pandemic, were particularly challenging, with limited civic education, electoral violence, biased media coverage, and an unlevelled playing field,” Twesige explained.

To ensure free and fair elections, he stressed the need for engagement with society and key stakeholders to better understand electoral dynamics and develop strategies to address these challenges. This will involve seminars, conferences, and other initiatives.

Twesige emphasised that “when citizens are able to choose their leaders freely, they can hold them accountable, promoting a culture of accountability, transparency, reduced corruption, and efficient resource allocation. This, in turn, can lead to improved economic outcomes.”

He made the remarks during USAA’s fourth annual general meeting, held at Kolping Hotel in Kampala on March 28, 2025.

The meeting, held under the theme Enhancing Sociological and Anthropological Contributions to Uganda’s Social, Economic, and Cultural Advancement, focused on increasing membership recruitment and encouraging all sociologists and anthropologists in Uganda to register with a professional body, fostering a sense of community and belonging.

During the AGM, USAA swore in new executive members, shared knowledge and experiences, and laid strategies for greater social engagement to increase their relevance and visibility both locally and internationally.

"We aim to establish an accreditation system, making it mandatory for all practising sociologists and anthropologists to have the required training. Just as a medical professional requires formal training to treat patients, we believe all sociologists hired by organisations should meet similar standards,” Twesige explained.

With a growing demand for sociologists in private companies, government ministries, departments, agencies, and state-owned enterprises, USAA plans to introduce an accreditation system to ensure that only qualified professionals practice as sociologists.

“This will guarantee that practitioners possess the necessary expertise and knowledge to excel in their roles,” Twesige stated.

According to USAA, the primary role of sociologists is to identify social problems, analyse them, and find actionable solutions, thereby contributing to social transformation and development.

Since many individuals claim to be sociologists in government institutions without formal training, USAA board member John Alinaitwe said the association plans to make membership mandatory for all practising sociologists in the future.

"We need to reclaim our space, as it has been taken over," Alinaitwe emphasised.

To boost membership, Dr Mugisha Mutabazi, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Administration at Kyambogo University, suggested that USAA revive sociologist student associations at universities.

"For example, we have a sociologist student association at Kyambogo University. By engaging with these young people through university associations, we can build a pipeline of future members. Once students join their university's association, we can encourage them to register with USAA, automatically making them members," Mutabazi explained.

He added that this strategy has the potential to strengthen USAA’s membership base.