Cartoonist Snoggie Gives Uganda's Very Serious Political Issues a Touch of Humor

A compilation of some of Snoggie's work.

A compilation of some of Snoggie's work.

Uganda's recent elections were characterized by tension, arrests, and rigging allegations. Not exactly a laughing matter, but there's still room for humor. Just ask Snoggie, one of the country's leading political cartoonists, who regularly commented on these issues throughout the voting season.

Ugandans cast their ballots in presidential, parliamentary and local council elections on February 18, 2016. The Electoral Commission of Uganda announced two days later that incumbent President Yoweri Museveni had won with 60.75% of the votes. Main opposition candidate Kizza Besigye, who was arrested multiple times during the lead-up to the election, followed with 35.37%, and former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi came in third with 1.75%.

Snoogie shares his art in the Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper as well as on his Facebook page, Snoggies World for Uganda,  which has close to 30,000 followers. His cartoons offer insight into the political drama playing out in Uganda at the moment. Below are some of his works posted on his Facebook page.

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Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

The person in the driver's seat above is the chairman of the Electoral Commission, Badru Kiggundu. The passengers in the back seats are the main opposition leaders, Amma Mbabazi of the Go Forward movement and Kizza Besigye, whose slogan was “For The Change We Deserve.” Holding the map is President Yoweri Museveni.

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Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

President Museveni refused to attend the first presidential debate saying that he was busy. However, he attended the second presidential debate. Mirundi was Museveni's press secretary for 13 years.

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Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

Delivering an eviction notice above is Kizza Besigye, the main opposition leader. Besigye attracted huge crowds during the campaigns. Many people anticipated that Museveni was actually headed for a defeat before the election results were released.

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Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

After elections, there was a heavy police and military presence in the streets. Unlike past elections, streets were empty of celebrations.

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Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

Afande means officer in Swahili, and Dr. Badru Kiggundu is the Electoral Commission chairman. The man in the officers’ custody is Kizza Besigye, who was was arrested four times between 15-23 February. He was put under house arrest after the results were announced.

Snoggie 1

Image by Snoggie. Used with permission.

Uganda is the only country in East Africa without presidential term limits. Technically, Museveni can stand for elections in 2021.

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