Chaos as MP Musasizi is declared Rubanda east NRM candidate

Rubanda, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  There was chaos at Rubanda district council hall tally Centre this morning when Henry Ariganyira Musasizi was declared elected the Rubanda County East National Resistance Movement-NRM party candidate. 

He was declared the winner by the Rubanda District NRM Party Registrar, Monday Aggrey and Gaudioza Kabondo, an official from the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters at exactly 8:30 AM. 

According to the poll results, Musasizi garnered 23,330 votes defeating his rival and incumbent Rubanda District LC V Chairperson, Kenneth Jogo Biryabarema who garnered 22,412 votes. 

However, hours before announcing the winners, chaos erupted in the tally centre after Kabondo declined to declare the fate of elections at Nyakiharo polling the station in Nyakiharo village, Bubaare sub-county where vote counting didn’t take place. 

Biryabarema accused Musasizi of sending goons to the polling station to tear the voter’s registers. He requested the vote tallying to be halted until the matter is settled since he had promptly reported the matter to police and polling officials.

However, Kabondo rejected Biryabarema’s demands, saying he has no right to order the party commission officials on what to do. He also said he can’t act unless police provide them with an official statement on the matter.   

He was supported by Musasizi and Prosy Akampurira Begumisa  Mbabazi, the incumbent Rubanda district woman member of parliament, who claimed that Biryabarema was panicky before of the looming defeat, saying votes from a single polling station can’t affect the entire exercise.

 This angered Biryabarema and his campaign managers led by Aloysius Kafeeza, Gerald Akambasa, the Rubanda District Speaker and Male Youth Councilor, Aggrey Bandebaho. They accused Kabondo, Monday Aggrey, the Rubanda District NRM Registrar and Administrator, Christopher Dezi.   They blocked Kabondo from reading the results from the other villages until the matter is sorted in vain. Kibondo responded by ordering police to arrest them. As a result, Police under the Command of Ramadhan Tai, the Rubanda District Police Commander chased Biryabarema’s agents from the tally Centre and ordered them to vanish.   Biryabarema’s agents who had stationed about 30 meters from the tally centre protested Kibondo’s order and started pelting the security officers who were manning the area with stones. The officers retaliated by chasing them away. 

Biryabarema stormed out of the tally centre accusing Kibondo of lack of transparency. Shortly after being declared winner, Musasizi said Biryabarema rushed to celebrate without knowing that he had lost the polls.   

Meanwhile, Engineer Denis Sabitti polled 30095 votes to retain the flag for Rubanda West county defeating the former area legislator, Henry Banyenzaki, former who got 22193 votes.  Gad Bukenya polled 2204 votes, Innocent Mucunguzi 2096 Rwakiseta got votes while Mathias Muhereza got 138 votes.   Prosy Mbabazi Akampurira, the Rubanda Woman Member of parliament also retained the flag with 33895 votes defeating her closest rival, Hilder Kaarungi Karuhize who got 13414 votes. Evelyn Ninsiima Kikafunda trailed with 50405 votes. 

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