Kisoro Woman MP By-election: Election of UPC flag bearer flops

Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Election of a Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party flag bearer to contest for Kisoro District Woman Member of Parliament on Tuesday flopped after candidates clashed over the voting method and presence of ineligible voters.

UPC party supporters converged at Bamboo Gardens in Kisoro municipality to elect the flag bearer. Suzan Natukunda, a student at Metropolitan International University Kisoro and Mable Ingabire were contesting to hold the flag.

The exercise was presided over by Brenda Atim Kinyera, the party’s National vice chairperson and Annet Kyomuhangi, the party’s coordinator in charge of the Kigezi region.

However, the exercise turned dramatic after Kinyera said that voting would be by queuing. Kinyera also said that some of the people claiming to be party supporters were not in the register. Ingabire and her supporters objected to the method and demanded voting by secret ballot.

The disagreement forced the police to intervene. Atim conducted a closed-door meeting with the candidates but also failed to convince them of the method of voting.

Atim opted to suspend the election as she consulted party officials at the head office in Kampala.

Natukunda claimed that Atim suspended the election after realizing that Ingabire did not have supporters.

According to the Electoral Commission road map, the nomination of the candidates is set for Wednesday and Thursday and voting on November 14th.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has already fronted Rose Kabagyeni as the flag bearer, Sultana Salim  Tana is the National Unity Platform (NUP) party candidate while Juliet Musanase has been fronted by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party.

The by-election follows the death of Sarah Mateke  Nyirabashitsi, the State Minister for Defense and Veteran Affairs who died on September 7, after suffering a heart attack.

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