Museveni scored 100% at 368 polling stations in three districts

Kiruhura, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  President Museveni scored 100 percent at 348 polling stations in the Kiruhura, Kazo and Isingiro districts, according to analysis of presidential election data released by the Electoral Commission data yesterday.

At these polling stations, he polled 138,063 votes. The president scored 100 percent at 143 polling stations in Kiruhura—his home district, 113 polling stations in Kazo district which was curved out of Kiruhura two years ago. He also scored 100 percent at 92 polling stations in Isingiro district.

Museveni scoring 100 percent at a polling station in Kiruhura isn’t unprecedented. But the magnitude is unmatched, if compared to scores of the previous elections. For instance, in the 2016 election, Museveni scored 100 percent at 141 polling stations, most of them were in Kiruhura, while others were in Nakaseke.

Tens of these polling stations also registered 100 percent voter turnout; 60 polling station stations in Kiruhura and 36 in Kazo registered 100 percent voter turnout.

Compared to previous statistics, Isingiro voter turnout is mind-boggling. In 2016, Museveni scored 100 percent at just one polling station but he scored 100 percent at 92 polling stations in January 14th election this year. Previously just one polling station registered 100 percent voter turnout, but 142 polling stations had 100 percent voter turnout in this month’s presidential election.

Unlike in Kiruhura and Kazo where Museveni scored 100 percent at all polling stations with 100 percent voter turnout, in Isingiro, polling stations with 100 percent voter turnout were more than those where Museveni scored 100 percent.

100 percent voter turnout at so many polling stations is nearly miraculous as the voters register is updated a year before elections—for instance register used in the January 14th election was updated in December 2019. It means 13 months later, no one has died, no one has migrated, none was sick nor did a single person forego voting for any conceivable reason.

These aren’t the only districts where Museveni scored 100 percent. There are polling stations in Sembabule, Nakaseke, Ibanda and Ntungamo districts where the president polled 100 percent.   Bernard Sabiti, a public policy and data analyst tweeted that the January 14th election results data is full of statistical impossibilities. He argued that an “independent, data literate court can overturn an election” based on these statistical impossibilities.

In Kiruhura explanation of these nearly impossible viting patterns depend on who you ask. In November last year when a URN reporter visited Kiruhura and Kazo districts, Apollo Karega, who was contesting for Nyabushozi constituency seat on Alliance for National Transformation ticket claimed  that “dead people vote and together withose who stay too far away to come be around on polling day are usually  always the first to vote”.

But several NRM leaders in the districts of Kazo and Kiruhura who URN interviewed dismissed “rigging” allegations as baseless. The Kazo NRM chairperson, Wilson Nkaija for instance argued that no over one has ever sued “people of Kiruhura for voting Museveni massively.” He argued that elections in the district as always free and fair.

Wilson Kajwengye, the Nyabushozi MP elect said all election petitions challenging Museveni’s win have been defeated.“Nyabushozi people feel so proud that president Museveni who has performed above everybody’s expectations comes from Nyabushozi, and they always go out and vote for him,” Kajwengye said.

Other NRM supporters argued that election observers usually traverse Kiruhura on voting day, witnessing how people vote peacefully. They argue that no one has ever produced a report saying elections in Kiruhura are rigged.

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URN