The long-awaited-for campaigns are here with us, with all presidential candidates set to traverse the country looking for votes.
Similarly, at the lower levels, campaigns for Parliament, LCV Chairpersons and other electoral offices are in the pipeline, with thousands also seeking votes.
All this is being done under the auspices of serving the populace and those involved at the planning and execution levels including the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Judiciary, the Police and other civic agencies should strive to ensure that the country gets the representatives it deserves.
The same agencies must also ensure that Ugandans participate in a free and fair election that is devoid of violence, intimidation and vote-buying/corruption among other vices.
There must also be judicial teams set up to efficiently and effectively handle all election-related disputes, to the satisfaction of the petitioners and the respondents.
In that respect, it is worth mention that President Yoweri Museveni has instituted a team to investigate and try to correct the anomalies in the just-concluded NRM primaries, and other organisers of elections in the country should be able to draw lessons from that initiative, in order to provide better polls.
That said however, Ugandans must begin nurturing the culture of tolerance for individual political choices, as this forms the basis for having free, fair and credible elections.
Lastly, leaders contesting for political office should avoid using abusive language against their opponents and also using inflammatory words that can spark off chaos between their respective supporters.
