On Friday, government and opposition agreed on practical steps for ensuring that the 2016 general elections are free and fair.

The government was represented by the Prime Minister Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda while the opposition was led by Hon Wafula Oguttu.

Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda

After the talks, Right Hon. Prime Minster released a statement in regard to the outcome of the meeting. The statement is a below; RT Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda;

Friends, On Friday, 23 October 2015, delegations from Government and the Opposition met at my office to agree practical steps for ensuring that the forthcoming elections are conducted in a free, peaceful and secure environment.

The Government side was led by myself, while the Opposition was led by The Leader of the Opposition, Rt Hon Wafula Oguttu. [adrotate banner=”3″]

Our discussions were conducted in a cordial, candid and respectful manner. At the end of the meeting, we were all in agreement that peace, stability and security of our country is a common good that must be jealously guarded by all to sustain democracy and development.

We appreciated the initiative of the meeting, and agreed to continue holding them on a regular basis to track progress.

We tasked the Attorney General to work with his counterpart in the Opposition and other stakeholders to come to a common understanding and interpretation of the Public Order Management Act (POMA) and advise the Police to implement it accordingly.

We noted that it is important for civility, mutual respect and adherence to rule of law be the hallmark of interactions of Police, leaders and the general public.

We also agreed that there is need to put in place an enabling law to guide the recruitment, training and operations of Community Policing.

It was proposed that the ongoing training of Crime Preventers needs to be reviewed.

We also agreed that we will not tolerate the formation of militia groups. Groups believed to be militia will be disbanded.