A small civil society organization in Western Uganda was forced to terminate five of its staff who carried out community engagement to promote a peaceful electoral process. Due to the abrupt halt in implementation at the very moment elections were gaining traction, community members felt disillusioned, with some calling the project a hoax.

Date: 12/25

Region: Africa

Country: Uganda

Topic: Governance & Rights

Policy Lens: Democracy & Governance

Additional Context: This information was collected as part of The Aid Report's original reporting, "US aid cuts shrink Uganda’s civic space ahead of 2026 elections," published by Devex. Our contributor looked into the termination of USAID governance programs that promoted civic education networks to reach rural and first-time voters. These changes threaten public trust and could undermine the U.S.’s strategic interest in the region.

This information comes from Francis Opio, head of governance protection and human rights at the Kabalore Research and Resource Centre, a local NGO in rural western Uganda. His organization had been implementing the approximately $250,000 USAID-funded “Ugandans for Peace Activity” through the Women’s International Peace Center.

Source: Devex