Evidence&Methods Lab

Evidence And Methods Lab is a Ugandan civic technology initiative working in the areas of access to information, accountability and innovation.

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

We've released a full report on Uganda's 2026 elections titled 'The Silence Was the Strategy'.
Based on 1,019 monitored records, it documents:
- An internet shutdown that cut off over 76% of voters
- 10+ Recorded deaths
- Women party officials detained on election day.
- A 70% collapse in election trust and more.

Download a copy of the full report here https://t.co/cXRflRjwnD
#WeShapeGov

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Here is our evidence-based assessment of all 87 government appointments serving Uganda's 12th Parliament.

The dashboard covers 36 Cabinet Ministers and 51 State Ministers, each scored across 7 dimensions, including academic credentials, portfolio alignment, governance experience, and public integrity. It gives you the information you need to understand who is running Uganda's government and what they bring to their roles.

Access the full assessment here: https://t.co/zujyDyuHZu

#WeShapeGov #UgandaCabinet2026

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Starting today, we’re at the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo 2026, joining innovators, researchers, and changemakers to discuss how we can power innovation, and partnership through data and technology.

If you’ll be there, let’s connect, share ideas, and explore how data and technology can drive meaningful impact across Africa.

#WeShapeGov #GlobalDataFestival2026

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@Druscilla, our new Programmes Assistant, works at the intersection of research and operations, ensuring that the work we do is not only well-organised but built to create lasting, sustainable change.

Welcome to the team, Druscilla.

https://t.co/OcEQypL2na
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@elaima3 joins our team as a Communications Director.

She brings a wealth of cross-sector expertise to how EML communicates its work to the world, shaping narratives, building connections, and ensuring that evidence reaches the people who need it most.

https://t.co/OcEQypL2na
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Meet Argie Gathigi, our #WeShapeGov Fellow representing Kenya.
A youth leader, environmental advocate, and civil society champion who has dedicated her work to empowering communities and amplifying voices that matter.

From her leadership within the Kenya Girl Guides Association to her involvement in global guiding movements, Argie embodies exactly what #WeShapeGov stands for — young people showing up, speaking up, and shaping the world they want to live in.

We are proud to have her as part of the EML family.
https://t.co/OcEQypL2na
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Meet Michael Mwesigwa, our Finance Officer.

Michael ensures that every shilling at EML is accounted for, purposeful, and working towards the mission.
We’re glad to have you on board, Michael.

https://t.co/3lxfnWT1iv
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@Druscilla, our new Programmes Assistant, works at the intersection of research and operations, ensuring that the work we do is not only well-organised but built to create lasting, sustainable change.

Welcome to the team, Druscilla.

https://t.co/OcEQypL2na
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@elaima3 joins our team as a Communications Director.

She brings a wealth of cross-sector expertise to how EML communicates its work to the world, shaping narratives, building connections, and ensuring that evidence reaches the people who need it most.

https://t.co/OcEQypL2na
#WeShapeGov #MeetTheTeam

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

In 2024, Ugandans spoke about what was happening inside Parliament. We listened, analyzed over 2,730 tweets, and compiled the conversations into a comprehensive report under the #UgandaParliamentExhibition.

The report documents emerging issues, including nepotism, financial mismanagement, lack of transparency, and citizen demands for institutional reform.

Read and share the report.
Exhibition Report: https://t.co/hMJZEmk7wm
Launch Report: https://t.co/cSJKXXdl47

@AgoraCFR @actionaiduganda @IGGUganda
#WeShapeGov

[Michael Katagaya @mkatagaya]

Parliament trouble?

This is a good time to remind us what Ugandans demanded during the #UgandaParliamentExhibition which @evidence_method duly documented in a comprehensive report and launched in collaboration with @actionaiduganda, @AgoraCFR and others at an event that @IGGUganda kindly 🙏🏿 graced.

Anyone committed to making real change should go back to back to those recommendations of the exhibitors and the report authors to reform parliament and other public institutions.
What Ugandan needs now is a complete 180 degrees turnaround to create a country that we and the next generations will enjoy to call home.

Hand picking a few people here and there, theatrics here and there won’t help.
@ntvuganda coverage: https://t.co/pqETUq4L0l

Exhibition report: https://t.co/dmtY6DCBt9

Launch Report: https://t.co/huNSyjUI1W

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

We are pleased to announce the reconstitution of our Advisory Board.

Our team leader, @mkatagaya, speaks about what this reconstitution means for us and reflects on where we are headed.

#WeShapeGov #AdvisoryBoard

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@GodberTumushabe and @BarbsBirungi complete their terms on the EML Advisory Board after serving since our founding years.

Godber served as our Chairperson and brought strategic direction and institutional grounding when we needed it most. He is someone who holds everyone around him to the highest standard — no matter how close the relationship. He gave EML its first assignment as an organisation, opened doors to partners and funders, and shaped our governance thinking. There are not many young civil society organisations in Uganda that have not gone through his hands. He has shaped the sector.

Barbara gave EML its first physical home — incubating us at Hive Colab when we were just starting out. Her expertise in technology, innovation, and women’s empowerment pushed us to think bigger about who our tools serve and how they reach the people who need them.

We are grateful to both of them, and to the partners and clients who supported EML’s work during their tenure on this board.
#WeShapeGov #Gratitude #Leadership #CivicTech #EML

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

@GodberTumushabe and @BarbsBirungi complete their terms on the EML Advisory Board after serving since our founding years.

Godber served as our Chairperson and brought strategic direction and institutional grounding when we needed it most. He is someone who holds everyone around him to the highest standard — no matter how close the relationship. He gave EML its first assignment as an organisation, opened doors to partners and funders, and shaped our governance thinking. There are not many young civil society organisations in Uganda that have not gone through his hands. He has shaped the sector.

Barbara gave EML its first physical home — incubating us at Hive Colab when we were just starting out. Her expertise in technology, innovation, and women’s empowerment pushed us to think bigger about who our tools serve and how they reach the people who need them.

We are grateful to both of them, and to the partners and clients who supported EML’s work during their tenure on this board.
#WeShapeGov #Gratitude #Leadership #CivicTech #EML

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Welcome to the EML Advisory Board, @tawmug.

Tawanda co-founded Digital Society of Africa, which has supported over 500 human rights defenders and 60+ organisations across six Southern African countries with digital security, risk assessments, and organisational resilience. He is a Ford Foundation Global Fellow, and Civic Space Fellow at Amnesty International.

Tawanda has been advising EML informally, and his organisation has directly strengthened our digital security infrastructure. His perspective on digital threats, civic technology, and the Southern Africa regional operating environment strengthens our board as we scale across the continent.
#WeShapeGov #DigitalSecurity #CivicTech #AdvisoryBoard #EML

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Welcome to the EML Advisory Board, @SandyColiver.

Sandra is a senior human rights lawyer with over three decades of experience in freedom of expression, access to information, and civic space protection. She coordinated the drafting of the Tshwane Principles on National Security and the Right to Information, served as Senior Managing Legal Officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative, and has taught at Columbia University and UC Berkeley Law School.

Sandra has been supporting EML’s work — facilitating introductions and connection to strategic networks. We are glad to formalise what has already been a productive relationship.
#WeShapeGov #HumanRights #CivicSpace #AdvisoryBoard #EML

[Michael Katagaya @mkatagaya]

New Board Appointments for @evidence_method

On behalf of management of Evidence And Methods, I wish to inform partners, friends and the general public of the changes made to our Advisory Board. @GodberTumushabe, who has been our board chair, and @BarbsBirungi both complete their terms. @TamaleLillian has succeeded Godber
as Chairperson, with @SandyColiver and @tawmug joining our continuing members @edgarkuhimbisa
and @qataharraymond.

EML exists to address a governance gap that defines the African continent. Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral
reserves, more than 60% of its uncultivated arable land, and 1.4 billion people with a median age of 19. Despite
this great potential, studies, including our own, have found that governance quality has declined across much of
the continent over the past decade, and fewer than one in three Africans lives in a country where it is improving.

The distance between what this continent has and what most of its citizens experience comes down to
systems that do not respond to the people they serve. At the community level, a person is detained for
days without seeing a magistrate because they do not know how to invoke their constitutional rights. A
mother is turned away from a government health facility without medicines — a pattern our surveys found
affecting 70% of patients in target communities, even where district budgets show the allocation was made.
When citizens have no practical way to hold institutions to account, institutions have no reason to listen.

Over the past nine years, we have reached over five million citizens across multiple African countries (with
concentration in Uganda), building tools and evidence systems that address this gap — civic feedback
platforms, budget transparency and civic education initiatives that translate legal provisions into language
communities can use. We are now building to be operational in at least 8 countries across 3 African regions
by 2028, through local civil society partnerships rather than country offices, because closing this governance
gap requires African-led organizations working at scale with tools tested in the hardest environments.

Godber opened doors to our earliest partners and funders, steered our strategic direction during years when the organization was mostly an idea, anchored us into civil society while opening opportunities in the public sector, and held us to standards we had not yet earned — he did not make exceptions for our proximity to him as friends. Barbara gave us our first home at Hive Colab and brought a technology and innovation lens that shaped how we think about reaching citizens at scale, particularly women and
young people often excluded from civic processes. We are grateful to both of them, and to the partners and clients who trusted EML during this board’s tenure.

The advisory board we have put together
carries the expertise, networks, and continental reach that the next phase of this work demands.

I wish to thank and congratulate Godber and Barbara for serving us selflessly and to welcome the new members, Tawanda and Sandra to this adventure!

Michael Katagaya
Team Leader

A copy of the press release can be found here: https://t.co/R5uWhjoTtW

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

We are pleased to announce the reconstitution of our Advisory Board.

@TamaleLillian takes over as Chairperson. @SandyColiver and @tawmug join as new members alongside continuing members @edgarkuhimbisa and @qataharraymond. @mkatagaya and @hkiragga continue to serve as ex-officio members.

This reconstitution reflects where EML is headed. Over eight years, we have delivered over 65 projects across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, and Botswana, reaching over five million citizens. Our new strategy is about working more deliberately across the continent — with the ambition to be operational in at least 8 countries across 3 regions by 2028. The Advisory Board we announce today will guide that journey.

Godber Tumushabe and Barbara Birungi complete their terms on the board after serving since our founding years. Godber’s leadership as Chairperson gave us strategic direction and institutional grounding during a formative period. Barbara’s expertise in technology, innovation, and women’s empowerment shaped our thinking and widened our networks. We are grateful for what they gave this organisation.

We also thank the partners and clients who have supported our work during the tenure of this board — your trust has been foundational to our growth.
More at https://t.co/6vI1IAHTBx

#WeShapeGov #Governance #CivicTech #AdvisoryBoard

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Living through political division changes how you see people, power, and hope.

Some conversations remind us that democracy is not only shaped in parliaments or elections, but also in the everyday experiences of people trying to make sense of conflict, disagreement, and uncertainty.

Watch Jesús Armas speak about this and more in our latest hashtag#WeShapeGov podcast: https://t.co/a1jOYYYR60

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Phase Two is already in motion, and we’re grateful to @cipesaug, our co-implementing partners, and our funders — @EUinUG, @GovUganda, and @EnabelinUganda for making this work possible.

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

On 7th May 2026, we joined @cipesaug at a High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue on Advancing Digital Rights by Businesses in Uganda.

As one of the implementing partners on the Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Business (ARBHR) project, we have spent the past months making digital rights practical and accessible for Ugandan businesses.

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

Here is what Phase One looked like for us.
We reached over 2.3 million people across Uganda, through television, social media, digital billboards in Kampala, and on-the-ground activations.

We hosted a Digital Literacy Webinar for 105 small and medium enterprise owners, launched an AI-powered chatbot on WhatsApp, giving businesses real-time guidance on cybersecurity and data rights.