Museveni directs on NRM party register

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | The already hotly contested National Resistance Movement-NRM national party primaries took another twist two days to the polls, when President Yoweri Museveni directed that all members with cards and not on the register be allowed to vote.

Museveni said in his September 2 letter to the NRM electoral commission that village executive committees should verify that the person added onto the register is a member of NRM in that village and that where there are no registers, the village committee shall verify and register all members eligible to vote.

“In exercise of the powers granted to the chairman under Article 14 of the Constitution, I hereby offer guidance that all members of NRM whose names appear on the register shall be allowed to vote. Any NRM member whose name is not on the party register shall be immediately added to the register and permitted to vote if the person is 18 and above,” said the NRM national party chairman.

The ruling NRM party will on Friday 4th September, go into its primaries where members will elect their parliamentary flag bearers for the positions of district woman representatives to Parliament and constituency MPs.

National Resistance Movement-NRM party registrars have been on the spot in many areas in the country.

Party registrars for Bukalasi and Bundesi Sub counties in Bududa district are on the spot for inflating the voter’s register. According to available information, during the party registration in 2015, Bukalasi registered 5000 voters before it gave birth to Bundesi Sub county.

Currently, according to the register, each sub county has 7000 voters, which has raised suspicion from the candidates and voters. Following numerous complaints from candidates and voters, Bududa District Security Committee led by Resident District Commissioner summoned the two registrars to explain the high number of voters on the registers.

John Watenyeli Nabende, the Bududa RDC, says they tasked the registrars to explain why the registers have a high number of voters compared to NRM voters in the area in vain. Stephen Wakyaya, the Bududa District NRM party Chairperson, said the action of the registrars is likely to trigger chaos unless steps are taken to correct the mess.

Michael Wanditi Watalunga, the Bududa District NRM Registrar told our reporter that some voters were registered twice, which contravenes their electoral guidelines.  He says a team of registrars is on the ground to establish what went wrong so as to clean the error.

Luke Kitale, the NRM Registrar Bukalasi said the inflation came as a result of addition of more persons of aged between 15 and 17 years as it was directed by the NRM office.

He added that people in the two sub counties have kept on multiplying since 2015 to date with others reaching voting age something that would have led to increment of voters in those sub counties.

Bududa District Police Commander Jafar Magyezi, said police will follow the issue until the culprits responsible face the law.