Bobi Wine wins Kyadondo East by-election

Bobi Wine earlier received congratulatory messages. The former presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, Kizza Besigye tweeted: “Landslide victory for the HE Bobi Wine.  Congratulations-PEOPLE POWER!! That's why Wakiso people weren't allowed to vote 2016.

The Executive Director, Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo also tweeted: “So @HEBobiwine is beating everyone @NRMOnline @FDCOfficial1 hands down in #KyodondoEastByElections, Congs although still early.”

Provisional results show that Robert Kyagulanyi [aka Bobi Wine] is taking an early lead. Many of the results coming in have shown the singer beating fellow candidates, taking more than half of the total votes in various polling stations.

Bobi Wine has also began receiving congratulatory messages. The former presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, Kizza Besigye tweeted: “Landslide victory for the HE Bobi Wine.  Congratulations-PEOPLE POWER!! That's why Wakiso people weren't allowed to vote 2016.

The Executive Director, Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo also tweeted: “So @HEBobiwine is beating everyone @NRMOnline @FDCOfficial1 hands down in #KyodondoEastByElections, Congs although still early.”

The counting of the votes cast at the Kyadondo East by-election has started. Vote-counting has begun at stations such as Magere and Kitagombwa polling stations. However the lines of people who are still waiting to vote are significantly long. At Wampeewo Primary, Kasangati Dispensary and Watuba polling stations, people are still queuing to vote.

Provisional Tallies as they come in

As early as 5am, voting materials had been delivered at most of the 93 polling stations in the Kyadondo East constituency.
Damalie Mukhaye in Gayaza reports that voting expected to start at exactly 7am delayed by 10 to 20 minutes at some polling stations but all the materials had at least been delivered.

Electoral Commission officials, candidates’ agents, observers and security personnel were all present by the time voting started.
By 8am, people had already formed long queues at Gayaza Namavundu Church of Uganda.
EC commissioner Steven Tashobya is moving to different parts of Gayaza supervising the process and urging the electorate to be calm.

Some polling stations have experienced delays because of the preparatory activities the polling officials had to do. Crispin Kaheru, the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) Coordinator reports that voting had not commenced by 8 am at Kasangati Dispensary because the polling officials were still setting up.

8:30: Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine is already in the queue with wife and is expected to vote shortly.

8:45 Mr Kyagulanyi who has finished voting, has urged his supporters to be peaceful and not to leave the polling areas after casting their ballots as a way of ensuring that there is no rigging.

Daily Monitor’s David Mafabi stationed in Gayaza-Magere where candidate Kyagulanyi earlier voted reports a huge turn up of the electorate already queuing to cast their ballots. By 9:30 am, more than 200 people had already voted in Magere according to an EC official who requested anonymity. A group of youth have camped in Magerere Trading Center where they are celebrating what they term as Mr Kyagulanyi’s victory.

A similar situation prevails at Wampewo, Kasangati where Youth are on the streets chanting Mr Kyagulanyi’s name.  Only EC has the powers to declare that a candidate has won the by-election and this will only happen when polls close at 4pm and after subsequent tallying.

Daily Monitor’s Derrick Wandera reporting from Wampeewo, Kiteezi and Luteete says voting is going on normally at more than 34 polling stations he has visited. Voting started after 7:30am mainly due to delays in verification of the first five voters and putting right the registration lists. 

Some of supporters and agents of different candidates slept at the polling stations while others arrived as early as  4 am awaiting  voting materials

With the exception of Kutagobwa N-2 Catholic Church polling station where the turn up is still low, other polling stations already have people queuing to cast their ballots for their preferred candidates.

Police, the military and other security operatives heavily deployed in the area are finding a hard time to manage candidates’ supporters keeping vigil outside polling stations and chanting slogans in support of their preferred candidates.

Damalie Mukhaye in Gayaza and surrounding areas reports that supporters of candidates are refusing to leave the polling stations claiming to guard their votes.

Hajj Abdul Kiyimba, the Nsangi Sub-county Chairman arrested by police on Tuesday has again been compelled to leave Wampewo Primary School after opposition supporters accused him of causing chaos.