Multiparty Politics in Uganda: Why Competition Has Not Translated into Engagement:

Abstract

This study investigated the persistent paradox of high voter apathy within Uganda’s formal multiparty political system. Despite the institutional framework for partisan competition, electoral engagement remained critically low. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research first collected quantitative data from a representative sample of 381 community respondents, drawn via cluster sampling from a registered voter population of 1,280,409. This was followed by qualitative interviews with 13 key informants, selected through census and purposive sampling, including District Registrars, Division Heads, political party officials, and Members of Parliament. The integrated analysis revealed that multiparty competition had not translated into meaningful public engagement due to four interconnected drivers: (1) profound institutional distrust, where electoral processes were perceived as predetermined; (2) a credibility deficit of key institutions, notably the Electoral Commission; (3) pervasive economic disenfranchisement, where citizens prioritized immediate livelihood concerns over electoral participation; and (4) the persistence of a dominant-party political culture that stifled genuine opposition and voter efficacy. The study concluded that apathy was not a passive condition but a rational response to structural and perceptual barriers within the political ecosystem. The mere existence of multiple parties proved insufficient to foster engagement when foundational issues of trust, equity, and electoral integrity were not addressed. Recommendations included substantive electoral and constitutional reforms to ensure genuine independence of electoral bodies, concerted civic education to rebuild a participatory political culture, and socio-economic interventions to reduce the opportunity costs of political participation for the electorate.