Minister calls on Ugandans abroad to return home to vote Museveni

The Minister of State for Children and Youth Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, has challenged young Ugandans studying and working overseas, to travel back home to participate in national elections or actively mobilise their relatives to support President Yoweri Museveni.

The minister called on the sidelines of a Commonwealth meeting in Malaysia’s capital, Minister Barugahara met with Ugandan expatriates working in the far east.

“You may travel back home if you can but if not, you have relatives there. Support and mobilise their friends and families back home to vote for and support the President,” he said.

During the meeting, Ugandans voiced frustration over perennial issues, including stringent immigration-related challenges, difficulties obtaining employment in Malaysia, and bureaucratic hurdles surrounding passport expiry and renewal.

The Minister pledged to follow up on these concerns immediately, engaging the Ministries of Internal and Foreign Affairs to close these gaps.

He further praised those in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Malaysia, for promoting the government's image abroad, stressing that it is every citizen’s responsibility to uphold the dignity of their country rather than use social media for negative commentary. 

“Let us all remain patriotic and constructive,” he concluded.

The Minister's call for Ugandans to return home or mobilise family to vote comes amid a long and contentious debate over the rights of the diaspora franchise. 

Despite the constitutional guarantee that every adult Ugandan citizen has the right to vote, the Electoral Commission (EC) has consistently failed to implement a framework for external voting.

In a landmark ruling, the High Court in Kampala affirmed in June 2020 that Ugandans in the diaspora have a constitutional right to participate in national elections. 

However, this ruling has yet to be actioned by the EC. Consequently, millions of Ugandans contributing billions of dollars annually in remittances remain excluded from the ballot box. 

The ongoing inaction means that for upcoming general elections, the only way for the diaspora to exercise their right to choose their leaders is precisely as the Minister suggested: by bearing the cost and logistical challenge of returning to Uganda or influencing the votes of those who remain resident.