The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The chairman of the National Resistance Movement [NRM] Electoral Commission Dr Tanga Odoi has announced the cancellation of elections in Mawogola West County, Sembabule district over violence.
The NRM tomorrow is holding nationwide party primaries to choose candidates for district and other Parliamentary seats. Those competing in Mawogola West are the incumbent Joseph Ssekabiito Kitayimbwa and the Sembabule district MP Hanifa Bangirana Kawooya.
Speaking today at the party’s Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala after meeting the candidates, Odoi said that they can’t allow Sembabule to distract elections in the rest of the country. Odoi said that in recent days, Kawooya was assaulted by the Ssekabiito’s supporters and therefore, she needed time to recover before the election is allowed to go on.
The trouble is not only in Mawogola West alone, chaos has been reported in Mawogola North where Shartis Kutesa, a daughter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa is battling President Yoweri Museveni’s brother Godfrey Aine Kaguta.
The two have used security personnel attached to them to fight their political battles which have seen some civilians sustaining injuries. In fact, according to information URN has obtained, both candidates in Mawogola North have called for the postponement of elections as the Odoi’s commission sorts out the issues to do with the register and the alleged bias by some of its officials.
Lwemiyaga county where the incumbent MP Theodore Ssekikubo is fighting to defeat minister Joy Kafura Kabatsi has also witnessed violence as supporters of each camp accused eachother of trying to influence the election and causing violence. Odoi used the press conference to warn that he will not hesitate to cancel elections in the rest of Sembabule if violence persists.
“We are warning before midnight tonight more is coming,” Odoi said. He also warned contestants in districts; Mityana, Kazo, Sheema, Tororo, Bushenyi, Rwampara, Isingiro, Hoima, Butaleja, Amudat and Kyenjojo among others to desist from a violent contest or they risk their elections to also be cancelled.
Meanwhile, Odoi retracted his Tuesday statements that only those people who will be on the voter’s register will be allowed to vote. This follows a directive by President Museveni that all NRM members should be allowed to vote provided they are on the register.
He said even those that are not on the register but are verified as NRM members and are above the age of 18 they too should be allowed to vote.
******
URN
