Irregularities mar SIGs elections in Luwero

Luwero, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Alleged voter bribery and reports of ghost voters marred the elections for Special Interest Groups in Luwero district.

On Wednesday, the Electoral Commission organized elections for councillors representing Persons with Disabilities, Older Persons, Youths and Workers at district Council.

In Luwero, the EC organized elections for only Youths Female Councillors, PWD Female councillor and Workers Male Councillor, while others were unopposed and others pulled out of the race. 

For the Youths Female Councillor seat, Fatumah Nakalyango an Independent candidate was declared the winner after she obtained 313 votes whereas her rival Amina Hassan the NRM candidate scored only 85 votes. 

For the PWD Female councillor elections, the Presiding officer Amina Sempa declared Nusurah Nanyanzi the NRM candidate as the winner of the race after beating the incumbent councillor Deborah Nalubega at the margin of only two votes. Nanyanzi scored 31 whereas Nalubega got 29 votes.

For Male Workers representative, the Presiding officer Daudah Nkugwa declared NRM candidate Jamil Mukibi as the winner after obtaining 75 votes whereas his rival Amos Nayepe got 35 votes.

However, elections were marred with open day bribery and complaints of fake voters on registers.

Deborah Nalubega the loser of PWD race rejected the results saying each delegate received about 20,000 shillings from his rival to vote her out of the seat. But Nalubega was also accused of hiding 20 delegates and bribing them, an allegation she couldn’t deny or confirm. After polls, Nalubega also paid the transport of some delegates who voted for her.

Nakalyango the elected Youths female councillor said she only won by the mercy of God because NRM party bribed majority of youths with 30,000-50,000 Shillings and also approached her with a bribe of five million shillings to pull out of the race.

Nakalyango says despite the bribery, the youths voted for her.

Anti-riot policemen were deployed to guard voters who had queued up after the supporters of Nakalyango wanted to beat agents of NRM candidate who were allegedly bribing them.

By the time the declaration was made, NRM‘s candidate Amina Hassan and her voters had deserted the polling station.

Amina had also hired a bus and several coasters to transport the youths to and after elections.

George Lameck Kibuka the Chairperson of District Workers also contested the register claiming that it had fake voters who were not workers. Jamil Mukibi a candidate in the race also threatened to sue EC if he lost the elections saying the register contained fake voters.

But Nathan Nabaasa the Returning Officer said the register passed through a process and any challenge must be channelled to court for redress. He ordered the polls to proceed amidst protests.

Mukibi later withdrew threats to challenge the register after he won the race. 

Some voters also found their names missing in the register yet they voted in Sub County and town council SIGs elections.

Other candidates that include Christine Nakamanya representative for Female workers, Issa Kalalike for Youths Male, Joseph Serugo for Older Persons Male, Rehema Kaaya for Old Persons Female all NRM candidates and Ssuna Mulema PWD Male district councillor (Independent) sailed through unopposed.

In Nakasongola NRM swept seven seats in SIGs elections after the some passed through unopposed and the two were elections held today defeated the independents.

Geoffrey Mubiru  (NRM) defeated Abbas Sseguya for PWD Male seat whereas Steven Muwonge (NRM) defeated Charles Kanyike who was independent.

The Elections for Youths Male councillor seat were postponed over a petition against a candidate’s age.

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