Minister Rukutana takes lead in Rushenyi county vote recount

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | State Minister of Labor Mwesigwa Rukutana is leading the Rushenyi County NRM party primary elections in a recount held today.

The recount presided over by the chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party-Electoral Commission Dr Tanga Odoi follows a petition filed by Rukutana challenging the outcome that gave victory to his political nemesis Naome Kabasharira.

Dr Odoi says they went through the results village by village as the candidates confirmed that they are the right ones and after tallying, the tally gave Rukutana an advantage of 20 votes ahead of Kabasharira. In the initial tally, Kabasharira had been declared the winner with 24,006 votes while Rukutana had 23,966 votes.

Following the violence that erupted in the county and the petition filed by Rukutana’s team to the party’s national electoral commission, Dr Odoi suspended the declaration of Rushenyi results even though the district registrar had announced Kabasharira the victor.

Dr Odoi says there was contention from both parties over Nyakahita cell polling station in Rugarama sub-county. He says Kabasharira was contesting the declaration forms of Nyakahita cell that Rukutana’s team presented noting that there was no voting at the said polling station.

Now Dr Odoi says in two days he will declare the winner after investigations are done. This happens shortly after Minister Rukutana has been released on bail by the Chief Magistrates’ court in Ntungamo. Rukutana is charged with seven counts related to attempted murder, assault and malicious damage to property and threatening violence.

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