Butaleja in voting mood, as Museveni is expected yet again

By Julius Odeke

Its three days to elections in Butaleja district where electorates shall go to polls to vote for the woman Member of Parliament filling the vacant post that was left empty after the death of Cerinah Nebanda.

The electoral Commission has slated February 11 to be the day for elections in the district.  The Butaleja MP race has attracted five contenders, with three vying as independent candidates while two are from the NRM and FDC Parties.

All the contenders are busy selling their last manifestos to the voters with an aim to clinch the ballot come Feb 11 elections.

Florence Andiru Nebanda, a sister to the late has posters pinned in all corners indicating that she is driving in the popularity of her sister Nebanda.

President Yoweri Museveni the NRM party boss is yet again coming to the district on Saturday Feb 9, convincing the voters to cast their ballot to Nebanda so that government will find it easier to implement most of the programmes.

The president was again in Butaleja last week on Friday where he met over 900 NRM elders in the district shortly after his visit to Butaleja, the former FDC party president Dr Kizza Besigye together with his other party echelons visited the district urging the voters to vote Namwihiri saying, “Nebanda did wrong to contest on NRM ticket, a party that they had earlier on alleged of killing their daughter.”

In Nebanda’s posters interesting words have been technically designed in Lunyole (a local language) sending a clear message to locals that all the programmes that the late never completed shall be completed and they read as follows: “Munjihirise Kenerese emirimo gya Cerina Nebanda nongereho nejindi,” loosely translated as “Allow me to complete the work of the late Nebanda who passed away.”

In Butaleja Town council, motorists criss-cross the roads with most of them bearing posters of both the late Nebanda and her sister Florence Nebanda while in some instances Museveni’s posters are also visibly seen and other top NRM politicians like Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, and Joseph Muyonjo, the district Local Government governor.

By press time, on Friday the FDC’s Felistus Namwihiri was in Busabi Sub County consolidating her support while Nebanda was combing the areas in Butaleja Rural Sub County.

Betty Hamba, the independent candidate was in Busolwe Town council.

In an interview with The Independent, the EC boss Badru Kiggundu said, “Elections shall be free and fair since all the candidates have vowed to conduct peaceful campaigns and have been following the guidelines that EC had given to them.”

He said EC has organized the election materials and that they will be delivered to the over 220 polling stations in the district on time.