The Democratic Party (DP) has expressed dissatisfaction with the Electoral Commission's (EC) handling of the ongoing exercise to identify and map Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on the National Voters Register (NVR).
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, DP's PWDs League condemned the EC's organisation of the initiative, alleging a lack of activity in numerous locations and calling the exercise a "stillbirth."
"This exercise has all the hallmarks of past failures," said Maxensia Takirambule, National Secretary for Persons with Disabilities in the DP.
She pointed to a "lack of preparedness and willingness" on the part of the EC to make electoral processes accessible to all PWDs, warning that "flawed electoral processes yield flawed electoral outcomes."
Takirambule called for immediate action from the EC, beginning with a more disability-inclusive publicity campaign to ensure that PWDs are fully informed and engaged.
"Disability-inclusive messaging should be presented in large print, in multiple local languages for the hard of hearing, in braille for the visually impaired, and adapted for all to access," she stated.
The party also emphasised the need for meaningful engagement with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and civil society, criticizing the EC's limited interactions with these groups.
"One-off workshops with OPDs in air-conditioned Kampala hotels are insufficient," she said, urging the EC to form a Public-Private Partnership to work with OPDs and allocate resources to support their outreach.
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Additionally, Takirambule recommended that the EC synchronise data with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) database, cautioning that the existing data may not accurately capture PWDs.
She further called for the mapping and verification process to be ongoing rather than a "one-week period," which they argued is inadequate given the daily challenges PWDs face.
Takirambule announced that the DP's PWD League would launch its own initiatives to support PWDs in the political process, including a membership registration program and a hotline to document incidents of rights abuses and discrimination.
"The Electoral Commission must address, directly and for the first time, the genuine barriers to participation for PWDs in electoral processes," she said.
She encouraged PWDs and their caregivers to participate in the identification and mapping exercise, highlighting the importance of having disabilities accurately documented.
