Ugandan churchgoers pray and fast for peaceful presidential election

Churchgoers in Uganda are praying for a peaceful vote, ahead of the general election on Sunday.

At the Pentecostal Blessed Anointed Church International in Kampala, worshippers are halfway through a 14-day practice of prayers and fasting.

Many have in mind the 2021 elections, which NGOs have said were characterised by "widespread violence and human rights abuses."

"What scares me about this election as a young woman is that the last election was very violent, and a lot of people died," said Winnie Promise Nantume, a congregant. "People lost their lives; people lost their things, so it frightened us."

Ugandan voters will be called to the polls on Sunday to choose their head of state and lawmakers.

At 81 years old, incumbent president Yoweri Museveni is hoping to clinch a seventh term. His foremost rival is opposition leader Bobi Wine, in his second run for the presidency.

Amnesty International said authorities have subjected opposition supporters to "unnecessary and excessive force and arbitrary arrests" in the lead-up to the election, raising fears of further violence.

"We are praying for our country," said Joseph Wasswa, the lead pastor at the Pentecostal Blessed Anointed Church International. "We pray for security operatives, the electoral commission, for the voters and everyone else."

Catholic bishops in Uganda have also called for fair and peaceful elections. "We pray for the Electoral Commission to carry out its task with integrity, fairness and truth," Uganda's Episcopal Conference said in a statement on January 6.