On Friday, we reported that the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development had postponed the Uganda Musicians Association (UMA) election process until further notice. (The UMA voting process will continue as planned – Ekongot Jeff)
The UMA elections were halted in a letter dated June 23, 2022, following a meeting between the Ministry of Gender and Uganda National Cultural Center leaders, who saw fit to push the exercise forward after several complaints.
The Gender Ministry has no authority to interfere with our work.
However, Mr. Jeff Ekongot, the UMA elections chairperson, stated in an interview that the election will take place as planned on Tuesday, June 28th at the National Theatre.
Mr. Jeff went on to say that if the Ministry of Gender forces the exercise to a halt, they will hand over the association to them and let them do whatever they see fit.
He explained that if the process is not completed, he will be disappointed because their time, money, and efforts to ensure a smooth election process will have been wasted.
However, if the Minister insists on using force, we will hand over UMA to him, and he will run its operations as he sees fit, as well as organize the electoral process.
He has not given us the opportunity to organize the election in the manner that we desire, despite the fact that members have contributed significantly in terms of money and time. (The UMA voting process will continue as planned – Ekongot Jeff – celebrity jazz ug )
