Strengthening citizen engagement in elections (SCENE) activity : mid-term learning review : final report

SCENE’s goal is to contribute to creating a proactive and engaged citizenry that actively influences electoral and political processes in Uganda, and which holds governance institutions accountable. Upon reaching the midpoint of its period of performance in July 2023, USAID /Uganda commissioned a midterm learning review that was conducted by the Uganda Learning Activity (ULA) and supported by the USAID/Uganda’s DRG office. The purpose of the review was to analyze and draw lessons regarding what has and has not been working, why, and under what conditions, in order to make the necessary adaptations in lieu of year four work planning. The review was guided by the following three main review questions: 1. In which intervention areas is SCENE registering the most and least success, and why? 2. What laws should SCENE pay critical attention to and advocate for prior to the 2025 electoral period? 3. What should be the focus areas for SCENE over the remaining period of the award to deepen the achievement of results? The learning review followed a qualitative methodology, which included a desk review of key activity reports and program documents, a learning retreat involving UNNGOF staff, and key informant interviews (KIIs). The researcher gleaned an external perspective of the implementation of activities from interviews with governance officers from the European Union and the United Kingdom’s Foreign Cooperation and Development Office. The findings that emerged from the data demonstrate that SCENE has achieved some success towards promoting citizen mobilization and community engagement, which has contributed towards the intended outcome of increasing citizen participation in legal, constitutional and political processes, strategic stakeholder collaborations at local government level, and constructive engagement with public sector agencies. Factors that enabled the progress achieved thus far include: SCENE’s convening power, collaboration with other organizations, and targeted community engagements with women, youth, and other groups. However, some interventions have not achieved the success anticipated: constructive engagement with public sector agencies has been challenging and the election observation role could not be executed as intended. This midterm review recommends that SCENE continue to focus on strengthening the mobilization of citizens as Uganda approaches the 2026 Presidential election and engaging citizens within the districts and regions of implementation. SCENE should also focus on strategic collaborations to leverage collaboration with other civil society organizations and look to align key interventions, which through combined efforts can have more immediate and more lasting impact. These strategic collaborations should be leveraged to achieve targeted constitutional and electoral law reforms.