Opposition party supporters and Kampala residents are less likely to say they feel free to speak, associate, and vote.
Key findings
- Four-fifths of Ugandans say they are "somewhat free" (31%) or "completely free" (49%) to say what they think. ° Nine in 10 respondents in the Western Region (91%) say they enjoy freedom of expression, but only 65% of Kampala's residents agree. ° Ruling party supporters are 15 percentage points more likely than opposition party supporters to say they are free to express themselves (88% vs. 73%).
- More than eight in 10 citizens say they are "somewhat free" (18%) or "completely free" (64%) to join any political organisation of their choosing.
- The vast majority (92%) of respondents say they are free to choose whom to vote for without feeling pressured.
- When it comes to exercising these freedoms: ° Almost three-fourths (73%) of Ugandans who were old enough to vote in the 2021 election say they did so. ° Fewer than one in 10 say they contacted the media (9%), posted about political issues on social media (4%), or participated in a protest or demonstration (3%) in the year prior to the survey. ° More than one-third (36%) say they joined with others to request action from the government at least once in the past year. ° About two in 10 say they contacted a political party official (21%) or a member of Parliament (17%) to air their views or to highlight an issue.
Article 38 of Uganda's Constitution provides for citizens' participation "in the affairs of government" and "in peaceful activities to influence the policies of government through civic organisations" (Government of Uganda, 1995). Even though Uganda has laws that guarantee freedom of expression and political participation, other laws restrict these freedoms, including the Non-governmental Organisations Act of 2016, the Public Order Management Act of 2013, and the Uganda Communications Act of 2013. Freedom House (2024) reports that under these and other acts, the government routinely and sometimes violently enforces restrictions on public assembly, while a ban on Facebook has severely hampered online political expression.
In its Civic Space Index, the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Uganda (2022) reported that surveyed "human rights defenders" rated freedom of information/expression and rights of assembly/association as "restricted" in Uganda, while citizen participation and non-discrimination were rated as "partially protected."
High-profile examples of the authorities clamping down on freedom of expression and assembly have made headlines. In November 2020, police fired tear gas and bullets at supporters of presidential candidate Bobi Wine who were protesting his arrest, killing at least three (Al Jazeera, 2020). Arbitrary arrests of opposition party members have raised concerns about the country's civic space for citizens to organise and participate in demonstrations and to express their political opinions freely (National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Uganda, 2022).
Mechanisms for public participation exist across various levels of government. The Government Citizen Interaction Centre is supposed to promote citizen involvement across the country and thereby "bring the government closer to the people." Parliamentary committees and petitions offer opportunities for citizens and non-governmental organisations to provide input into legislative processes. And at the local level, council meetings, committees, barazas (community meetings), and various public hearings offer platforms for public engagement (Mwesige, 2022).
However, critics argue that these avenues for political engagement are often insufficiently available and accountable to the public, ineffective in letting citizens' voices be heard, or "tokenistic" (Mwesige, 2022).
This dispatch reports Afrobarometer survey findings on the extent to which Ugandans consider themselves free to participate in political and civic activities, and how often they report doing so.
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Large majorities of Ugandans say they feel free to say what they think, to join any political organisation of their choice, and to choose whom to vote for without pressure, though opposition party supporters and Kampala residents are consistently below average in their sense of these political freedoms.
As for taking advantage of these freedoms, about three-fourths of Ugandans say they voted in the most recent election, and more than one-third report joining with others in their community during the previous year to request action from the government. But fewer than one in 10 report contacting the media, posting about politics or community affairs on social media, or participating in a protest.
More than one in four say they contacted a traditional leader about a problem or to share their views, while somewhat fewer reached out to a member of Parliament or a political party official.
Ruth Nakayima Ruth Nakayima is a research assistant at Hatchile Consult Ltd., the Afrobarometer national partner in Uganda.
