UNAA: Internal squabble continues, Agaba tells electoral commissioners to step down

“UNAA EC members who would like to continue with their responsibility of organizing a successful UNAA election that will take place ONSITE at the annual UNAA convention in Cincinnati, Ohio should be able to continue doing so.”

Kampala – 22, May 2021: Cessation of internal bickering as a result of “I am supreme”, “my words are final” etcetera by some Uganda North America Association (UNAA) executives won’t end tomorrow.

UNAA is set to hold elections in Cincinnati in September this year but her top leaders are critically disagreeing, especially on off-site voting.

TND News reports that the UNAA Board of Trustees (BOT) whose chairman is Mr John Agaba and the association’s electoral commission team led by Ms Florence Bazanye exchanged communiqué regarding planned elections, and off-site voting.

In a letter dated 11, May 2021 to UNAA EC by Mr Agaba John, he wrote: “UNAA Board of Trustees reviewed the response sent by the UNAA Electoral Commission on April 26, 2021 in which it was stated that the current UNAA EC will disregard the UNAA BOT’s decision to only conduct onsite elections during the 33rd Annual Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. We would again like the UNAA EC to refer to the UNAA BOT’s statement sent on April 21, 2021 that thoroughly details how the UNAA BOT came to its decision to permit only onsite voting.”

Mr Agaba further told the EC team that having off-site voting would cause legal consequences. In her response, the EC chairperson, had this to say:

“Since you sought legal counsel, can you provide us with that written legal opinion so that we can move forward with removing the off-site voting from our 2021 EC guidelines and processes. Please provide us with this information in 24 hours as we are time limited.”

With less than five months to the elections, on 21, May 2021, Mr Agaba, in his communication to EC commissioners titled “Re: UNAA 2021 ELECTIONS” had this to pronounce:

“The UNAA Board of Trustees has made a final judgment that the only voting method will be ONSITE during the upcoming 2021 UNAA elections. Considering that the UNAA Electoral Commission’s Chairperson was in attendance on a teleconference meeting with UNAA’s legal representative, we feel there is no need to incur further financial costs for the organization in this matter.”

“Nevertheless, we understand that there are some UNAA EC members who are passionate about including the option of offsite voting despite the decision of the UNAA BOT and the judicial opinion of Hon. Edward P. Leibensperger regarding the constitutionality of permitting offsite voting in UNAA elections.”

“Those UNAA Electoral Commissioners are free to step down from their current position. UNAA EC members who would like to continue with their responsibility of organizing a successful UNAA election that will take place ONSITE at the annual UNAA convention in Cincinnati, Ohio should be able to continue doing so.”

“We ask UNAA EC members who would like to step down to communicate that decision to the UNAA BOT by Sunday, May 23rd.”

“Time is of the essence since there are approximately three months left to process position nominations and to organize and conduct the election. Therefore, the UNAA Electoral Commission Process and Guidelines must be updated to include only ONSITE voting and shared to the membership at large expeditiously.”

“The UNAA BOT would again like to thank the UNAA Electoral Commission for their efforts thus far.”

“33 years of existence of this organization that boasts of a Ugandan population of about 120,000 people who would be change makers but zero idea,” Mr James William Mugeni, UNAA rep., Central Plains, says.

He adds that Ugandans in America want to be represented in the Parliament of Uganda without creating impact. “You would imagine through our Diaspora village in Uganda we would create a constituency.”

When you listen to the whole lot clamoring for representation and yet having nothing to show, you shudder. “In America and you turn out into a “tusaba government etuyambe!” “What is in UNAA that the BOT is exchanging letters after letters with the electoral commission?” he asks.

A peek inside UNAA Constitution