Nakivale (Uganda): election of new refugee representatives

From December 14 to 16, an election was held to choose new bodies representing the refugee community at Nakivale camp in Uganda. The president is a Congolese re-elected to this position. Five Burundians were also picked as the leadership bodies, including two on the central committee, others in the villages. Some refugees say they are satisfied with the process and the result. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The elections which were organized and supervised by the Ugandan Prime Minister’s Office in partnership with UNHCR ended without incident. They had a participation rate of more than 60%, according to the organizers.

“Junior Maarifa, a Congolese was elected president of the camp for a two-year term”, we learn.

He had just spent three years in the same non-remunerative post, the mandate being for two years.He extended his mandate for a year, as the authorized services could not organize an election in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elected Burundians

Two Burundians succeeded in being elected as members of the central committee, three others as village chief.

“A woman was elected delegate of women and children and a young man chosen in the field of security. The villages of New Buja and New Hope and another village in the area of ​​Ruhondo are managed by Burundians”, Burundian refugees report, happy.

Irregularities

Even if there were no incidents, witnesses affirm to have noted some irregularities, among which the stuffing of the ballot boxes.

The Congolese community is the largest in the Nakivale camp, which effectively explains the choice of a Congolese as president of this camp, which has more than 50,000 Congolese refugees.

The refugees hope that the new committee will prioritize issues related to safety, health and hygiene.

The Nakivale camp has more than 140,000 refugees, including more than 33,000 Burundians.