BESIGYE: FDC will organize LC 1 polls countrywide

The former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye has vowed to organise Local Council (LC) 1 elections countrywide, since according to him, government has failed to fund the exercise.

Besigye said the strategy is part of their new political campaign dubbed ‘Five Issues’.

Addressing the media at his office along Katonga Road in Nakasero, Kampala, Besigye revealed that the FDC party, that fielded him as a candidate last year and is headed by Mugishu Muntu, has embarked on a strategy intended to hold local council elections country wide.

The FDC ‘Five Issues’, Besigye revealed, include holding local council polls, reclaim the party’s victory in 2016 polls, land reforms, and resist plans to lift the age limit and ensuring provision of better service delivery.

“Even after amending the law providing for elections by lining up candidates, they have failed to do. We are going to focus on organizing LC elections, people have a right and duty to have elections In villages”, said Besigye.

This comes after government revealed early this year that it cannot hold elections, arguing that money for the polls had been re-channeled to provision of food in hunger stricken areas

Besigye also condemned the failure by the government to effectively address the famine in several parts of the country.

Besigye Demands for Kayihura’s resignation over insecurity

Besigye also mounted pressure on the Uganda Police over continued criminal gangs in several parts of the country, demanding that the Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura resigns.

Kiiza Besigye said  he believed the testimony by suspected criminals who were paraded by the IGP, indicating  that police are involved in organizing and orchestrating these crimes.

Besigye also said Kayihura paraded suspects before the media, an act that he said is unconstitutional because they have not been proven guilty.

On Monday, Kayihura paraded suspects whom the he said are behind the recent spate of robberies in the city at Katwe police station in Kampala.

Some of the suspected criminals accused the police of guarding their planning meetings and activities.

“How do you parade people you think are committing serious crimes before the media? What message are you sending to those related to them who would help you in investigations? All of them to go and hide,” said Besigye

He claimed the growing insecurity in the country could be orchestrated by those aiming to manipulate constitutional matters .

“I think if the regime wants to salvage whatever is left, Gen.Kayihura should be resign. If it was a more decent political system in which people have authority, he would have resigned already. He cannot deal with security because he is partly the problem,” said Besigye.

Besigye adds that this could be a planned attempt to create insecurity and make constitutional changes citing the Kasese the 2016 kasese clashes

“The government told us that they were to carry out an investigation and come up with a report which we have not seen up to now. Our own investigations is that the state wants to use the security and manipulate the age limit,” charged Besigye.

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editor@independent.co.ug