Civil Society and the Quest for Democracy in Uganda: Threats and Opportunities

June 12, 2013
12:00 pm - 02:00 pm

Civil Society and the Quest for Democracy in Uganda: Threats and Opportunities – Frank Rusa Nyakaana from National Endowment for Democracy on Vimeo.

Powerpoint Presentation :: PDF

Event Highlights :: PDF

– See more at: http://www.ned.org/events/using-technology-to-promote-good-governance-and-economic-transparency-in-west-africa#sthash.7RsW1S4A.dpuf

Powerpoint Presentation :: PDF

Event Highlights :: PDF

– See more at: http://www.ned.org/events/using-technology-to-promote-good-governance-and-economic-transparency-in-west-africa#sthash.7RsW1S4A.dpuf

Powerpoint Presentation :: PDF

Event Highlights :: PDF

Watch on Vimeo here.

Featuring

Frank Rusa Nyakaana
Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy

with comments by

Eric Robinson
Senior Program Officer for Africa, National Endowment for Democracy

About the event

Fifty years after independence, genuine democracy continues to elude Uganda. After decades of brutal dictatorships and autocratic rule, current president Yoweri Museveni restored the world’s hope for peace and prosperity when he took power in January 1986 and embarked on a series of political and economic reforms.

Today, twenty-six years later, Uganda once again faces a restrictive political environment, flawed electoral processes, and an apathetic citizenry. At the same time, over the past five years, a cross-section of civil society organizations has led the effort to mobilize greater civic participation in political accountability processes.

In his presentation, Frank Rusa Nyakaana explored the opportunities and challenges faced by Ugandan civil society groups in their struggle for political accountability. Mr. Rusa offered his perspectives on the way forward, as well as recommendations for international development practitioners, civil society, and the Ugandan government.

His presentation was followed by comments by Eric Robinson.

About the speakers

Frank Rusa Nyakaana is a senior program officer at the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), a basket fund initiative established by eight European partners (Austria, Denmark, the European Union Delegation, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom) to support democracy, human rights, peace-building, anti-corruption, and access to justice in Uganda. Prior to joining the DGF, Mr. Rusa worked as a manager at DGF’s predecessor, the Deepening Democracy Program (DDP), where he was in charge of election integrity and civic engagement programs. He also served as head of the Ugandan Electoral Commission’s legal department, where he presided over several landmark electoral processes, including the 2005 referendum on whether the country should adopt a multi-party political system. He resigned from the Commission in 2006, following a dispute with the Attorney General over the candidacy of a presidential rival. During his fellowship, Mr. Rusa is assessing the major challenges facing democracy in Uganda, with a particular focus on exploring the role of civil society in the quest for political and social accountability.

Eric Robinson is senior program officer for Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy.

Share