CEW-IT PARTICIPATES IN TSA-EXPO

The Technology for Social Accountability Expo (TSA-expo) is a networking opportunity to bring PEOPLE together with TECHNOLOGY. Citizens and institutions focused on building a more cohesive, transparent and accountable Uganda can interact with technology service providers who have tools and skills to make those efforts more efficient and effective.

Technology tools that improve performance, accelerate communication, and enhance transparency between individuals, civic and political groups, businesses, and governments are increasingly available in Uganda. As we write, ICT is being used to improve services, build knowledge, organize people to debate policy and provide innovative solutions for the country’s most pressing challenges.

Uganda’s rapidly developing technological infrastructure, expertise, and mobile phone user base offers the opportunity for the nation to shine with the development and scaling up of technology applications that improve social accountability and cohesion.

RIC-NET/ CEW-IT was represented by M John Silco Chair person CEW-IT /Director RIC-NET, Mukasine Betty the IT officer at CEW-IT National Data Centre, and Erastus the Documentation officer RIC-NET.

John Silco a member on the panel discussing "Citizen Participation through Mobile Technology",presented the efforts of CEW-IT based on Uchaguzi platform.

centering on Citizens participation through Information Sharing using ICT, the ICT is used in two ways:

1.Strengthening Transparency and Accountability through access to Information.

On line district e-library www.kaseseelibrary.org

Information centres & e-society resource centre.

Interactive radio programme

Citizens access easily repackaged policies and government guidelines, government contracts, reports and budget estimates.

2. Facilitating feedback from the citizens and the local government .

This is done through:

Stake holders meeting on M&E reports.

Interactive community radio

Quarterly magazine

Online blog and website

after carrying out Independent budget analysis, public expenditure tracking and service delivery tracking.

He clarified that ;Uchaguzi Uganda, www.uchaguzi.co.ug is a collaborative platform by Citizens Election Watch - IT (CEW-IT), that allows citizens actively participate in observation of the election process.
Facilitates the citizens and observers to report incidents in real time, synthesizing, aggregating and displaying reports on the map.Observers report detailed account of issues on blog http://uchaguzi-uganda.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

The information access possibilities available are: The District website, an e-library www.kaseseelibrary.org a district blog, a civil society portal and CSO blog http://rwecovoice.blogspot.com allows citizens access and share information within the community. http://uchaguzi-uganda.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html www.rwenzoripeoplesvoice.org .
Offline channels: feedback stakeholders meetings, Radio talk shows, quarterly magazine "the peoples voice” copies are on: http://www.ricnet.info/files/pub

The CEW-IT team demonstrated on how the tools are used and provided copies of the videos and quarterly magazines at the exhibition table.

123 PARLIAMENTARIANS TO SWEAR IN TODAY

A total of 123 new Members of Parliament (MPs) will be sworn in today. The members are to subscribe to the oath of allegiance and the oath of MP at a function to be held at the North Wing of Parliament in Kampala starting at 10:00am.

According to the Parliament public relations manager, Hellen Kawesa, the ceremony will take three days from today to Wednesday due to the huge numbers, with at least 120 MPs taking oath each day.

The ninth Parliament will have 375 members comprising Constituency Representatives, District Woman Representatives, Representatives of the army, the Youth, Workers and Persons with Disabilities.

Of the 123 MPs swearing in today, 61 were members of the eighth Parliament, 82 are members of the NRM, 14 are from the Forum for Democratic Change, 8 are from the Uganda Peoples Congress while 15 are independents.

ELECTION OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR OKORO CONSTITUENCY ZOMBO DISTRICT

Election of Member of Parliament for Okoro constituency Zombo district was held today Thursday 5^th/May/2011. Normal voting for started between 8:00am - 9:00am in the morning was peaceful with no cases of violence. There was security personnel were deployed in all the polling stations.

This exercise was carried out today due to the postponement of the election two months ago as a result of the death of one of the candidate on the FDC ticket (Mr. Acam Thomas) aspiring for MP, Okoro constituency, Zombo District.

However the poll was characterized by Poor turn up of voters which was 29% of the registered voters late arrival of election materials and election officials that led to late starting of the voting process in some polling stations. Before voting day, there were incidences of some Candidates stepping down in favor of the others (a case people widely viewed as bribery).