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Shift Media News 
By PATRICK JARAMOGI
KAMPALA-SHIFTMEDIA- The paroxysms of ‘state prosecution’ has started biting the Citizen Coalition for Electoral Democracy Uganda (CCEDU) immediately after they released the 2021 General Election Report.
The National Bureau for NGOs that issues licences to NGOs has summoned CCEDU for a meeting tomorrow June 1st, 2021.
The reasons why the Electoral Commission snubbed the CCEDU report launch on Friday 28th May 20121 has come to the fore.
The report that described the election as characterized by forms of violence and intimidation- CCEDU Election-Reports shows 2021 elections was-marred by violence- Was hard-hitting for the Electoral Commission whose mandate is to organize and supervise the elections.
But though they (EC) had wanted the report launch thwarted, they were caught off-guard.
In a letter dated May 27th, 2021 to the National Bureau of NGOs signed by Mulekwah Leonard the Ag Secretary Electoral Commission, the Electoral Commission noted that CCEDU was releasing the General Elections observation report yet they were not accredited to do so.
Mulekwah in his letter instructed the Executive Director National Bureau of NGOs to caution CCEDU.
Though Okello Stephen the Executive Director National Bureau of NGOs wrote a letter to CCEDU on the same day of the report launch, it reached after the ceremony had ended.
“This letter serves to caution you against the report launch since you were not accredited for the said exercise,” wrote Okello Stephen.
The ED went further to invite CCEDU for a meeting at their offices located along Nile Avenue, Kingdom House to discuss their actions for the recently concluded 2021 General Elections.
Dr. Matembe responds
Hon. Dr. Miria Matembe, the fire-spitting CCEDU Board chair said she was ready for anything. Speaking to us on phone, Matembe who launched the report along with other Civil Society members at the CCEDU offices described Electoral Commission’s move as ‘very cheap’.
“The Electoral Commission reported us to the NGO Bureau that we were going to launch a report yet they didn’t accredit us to observe elections,” said Matembe.
Adding: ‘We (CCEDU) had invited them to participate in the launch but instead reported us to the NGO Bureau, I don’t know for which crime we have committed.”
She said the letter from Okello the NGO Bureau boss shocked her very ‘seriously.’
“The Electoral Commission is supposed to conduct elections for the people of Uganda, who are supposed to see and know what is happening during the voting.” “What crime has CCEDU done by saying this is what we saw as Ugandans during the voting?” she fumed.
Matembe a former Ethics and Integrity Minister said CCEDU has been summoned, and they will abide since they are the regulators.
“I will go there and tell them what we are registered to do. Under the NGO Bureau, we have three objectives which we are registered for: participating in Electoral reforms, Voter Mobilisation, and Election Observation,” she said.
“Now did we do anything outside that? That they are calling us to caution us? But for me I want to tell Ugandans, is that this regime is geared towards creating fear among citizens,” she said.
“What the EC did (report us) is reducing themselves to such a cheap level, a lower status, that they want to silence Ugandans. If the Uganda government has been looking for the time to arrest me, this is the time,” she warned.
