ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – Uganda’s diplomatic footprint in the Horn of Africa reached a new high this week, as H.E. Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Uganda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), hosted and facilitated two high-level Ugandan election observation missions deployed for Ethiopia’s general elections held on June 1, 2026.
In a landmark display of pan-African solidarity, the Embassy of Uganda in Addis Ababa worked closely with the visiting teams, ensuring seamless coordination with Ethiopian authorities and continental bodies.
Heading the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Election Observation Mission was H.E. Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, the former Vice President of Uganda. Dr. Kazibwe, a respected pan-African stateswoman, led a contingent of regional experts across multiple polling stations in the Ethiopian capital and regional states.
Concurrently, a separate team from the Uganda Electoral Commission, led by the Hon. Commissioner Anthony Okello, was officially invited by the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to serve as independent observers. Commissioner Okello’s delegation focused on technical assessments of polling logistics, voter turnout, and tallying procedures.
Ambassador Otengo described it as “a great honour for the Addis Ababa Mission to receive and work with the Delegation of Uganda.” She emphasized that the joint observation effort underscored Uganda’s unwavering commitment to democratic governance and electoral integrity across Africa.
“Uganda and Ethiopia share deep historical ties. By contributing two distinguished observer missions—one at the IGAD level under Dr. Kazibwe’s leadership, and another at the bilateral level under Commissioner Okello—we are demonstrating that African solutions to electoral processes are not just possible, but exemplary,” Ambassador Otengo stated.
Dr. Kazibwe, speaking after touring several polling centers, commended Ethiopia’s electoral board for improved transparency and logistical organization. “The Ethiopian people turned out with patience and purpose. As IGAD, we have submitted a preliminary report that is both fair and constructive,” she said.
Hon. Commissioner Okello added that Uganda’s Electoral Commission learned valuable lessons from NEBE’s biometric voter verification system, which helped reduce incidents of double voting.
The Ethiopian election, which saw high voter participation, has been widely hailed by the AU and international partners as a significant step in the country’s post-reform democratic journey. Uganda’s dual-observation presence—facilitated by Ambassador Otengo’s team—has been praised as a model of African peer support.
The mission concluded with a joint diplomatic reception at the Ugandan Embassy in Addis Ababa, where Ambassador Otengo reaffirmed Kampala’s commitment to deepening ties between the two nations under the motto: 🇺🇬🤝🇪🇹 “One Africa, Shared Standards.”
