The Uganda Electoral Commission has launched an SMS service where Ugandans can get updates on the 2011 election process on their mobile phones.
The SMS (short Message Service) system to get the information about the progress of elections was launched today at hotel Africana in Kampala.
The Chairman Electoral Commission Eng. Badru Kiggundu said the new platform is part of efforts by the Uganda elections body to ensure transparency in the electoral process.
Kiggundu said the launch of the SMS platform follows the successful launch of the online voters register where many people are able to check the voters’ register and their specific voting details or those of particular polling stations,.
He however took a swipe at the opposing who he said are bickering that the Commission has failed its work by not producing the voters’ cards to all voters.
Kiggundu emphasized that anyone who registered during voters’ registration last year will be allowed to vote based on their name’s presence in the voter’s register and not because one has a voter’s card.
He said that the Commission is handling the elections with professionalism and that he is not bound to be intimidated by anyone.
John Ken Lukyamuzi
But some leaders of the opposition during the launch criticised the Electoral Commission of spending too much taxpayers money on technologies that will not benefit Ugandans or a free and fair election.
Conservative party President Ken Lukyamuzi who is also the Chairman of the Inter Party Coalition said many Ugandan citizens have not benefited from the online voter register neither will they benefit from sms platform because according to him the majority of Ugandans are used to voice calls on their phones and cannot write and send sms.