The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Sheema, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Three contestants in the Sheema South NRM party primaries have put the NRM registrar on spot for altering results of the party primaries held on Friday.
Those protesting include Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, Prof. Elijah Dickens Mushemeza, and Nickson Tugume Banduho. They were among the six people who contested for the NRM party flag in the constituency, together with Moses Mwebesa, Yorokamu Bategana and Benson Kamugisha Tumuhimbise.
Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Sheema South is accusing Prof. Mushemeza of intimidating his agents and forcing them to leave the polling stations before voting ended. He now wants results from seven polling stations delayed until his petition is disposed off.
He mentions polling stations of Kirugu 1, Kirugu 11, Nyamushebeya, Nyaruhanga east, Nyaruhanga west, Rwampugye and Nyarogorogoro, from where Prof Mushemeza was intercepted with declaration forms trying to sneak them into the tally centre.
According to Kamuntu, his agents were chased from the seven polling stations before the results went missing. He said he was not sure of the signatures on the declaration forms that the registrar had shown him.
On the other hand, Prof. Mushemza is accusing the registrar of altering results in favour of his opponents. He says that the results that were being tallied don’t match the results he has on his declaration forms and the add up is not right.
Nickson Banduho Tugume is also accusing the registrar of tempering with the results and projecting the wrong figures. The protest created chaos in the tally centre that lasted over one hour. Security was later heightened inside the tally centre to crowds whose tempers were flaring.
However, the district registrar Franklin Ahimbisibwe refuted allegations of missing results and asked Prof Kamuntu to put his complaints in writing after the results are announced. “If Prof Kamuntu has complaints about the election let him put them in writing and we shall handle them accordingly”. He said.
The announcement of the results has been halted to do a manual count under the strict observation of the Police commanded by the District Police Commander SP Birungi Proscovia. Uganda Peoples Defense Forces soldiers and Police personnel have been deployed to contain the situation in the area.
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