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Busongora poll losers blame EC, security
Mr Gideon Mujungu Thembo (centre) celebrates after winning the Busongora South by-election in Kasese District on Thursday last week. PHOTO/ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- The National Unity Platform party candidate, Mr Jackson Mbaju, came second with 6,866 votes, while Mr Alozious Kighema Baguma of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, was third with 5,564 votes.
Losers of the Busongora South parliamentary by-election in Kasese District have accused Electoral Commission of failing to prevail over the army, which allegedly intimidated residents.
National Resistance Movement candidate Gideon Mujungu Thembo was declared winner of the election last Thursday with 12,088 votes.
The National Unity Platform party candidate, Mr Jackson Mbaju, came second with 6,866 votes, while Mr Alozious Kighema Baguma of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, was third with 5,564 votes.
Mr Mbaju said the army’s presence made the constituency look like a battlefield.
“The election was a broad day robbery. It was mishandled by the state and they declared their own candidate. Military took over the electoral process,” he said, adding that his party was yet to announce its final position on the matter.
Mr Mbaju, who won the election petition in the Court of Appeal in June that resulted in cancellation of Mujungu’s victory, said he must be compensated.
The FDC president, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, who had pitched camp in Kasese, said they faced harassment .
“There was heavy deployment of military, police, and RDCs at all polling stations. Our candidate was brutally arrested. This was not an election but a war,” he said, but added that they would not seek court redress.
Mr Denis Namuwoza, who was in charge of the operation and deployment of security officers during the voting, said the deployment was meant to provide security.
Mr Kighema said there was ballot stuffing and voter bribery by the NRM at many polling stations.
However, the EC spokesperson, Mr Paul Bukenya, said the exercise was free and fair.
“There was only one incident that happened at Katunguru polling station where an FDC candidate was arrested because he kicked the ballot box,” he said.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the NRM vice chairperson for western region, attributed their victory to collective effort.
“People realised that they have been voting Opposition who don’t focus on service delivery. The people have been complaining to us that they don’t have government-aided schools, have poor health facilities and roads, and since we promised to deliver them, the voters decided to vote for NRM,” he said.
Dr Baryomunsi added that they are open to all the NRM deserters for reconciliation talks.
“We were not securing an election but providing security to the entire district, you can’t only provide security to the polling station. What if we get insecurity from in other places? So we had to deploy,” Denis Namuwoza, police officer who was in charge of security operations during election
