Unregistered voters remain sticking issue as NRM votes

BY MISAIRI THEMBO KAHUNGU
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) goes to the polls today to choose the party flagbearers in parliamentary elections next year except representatives of Special Interest Groups.
The voting by adult suffrage in all villages will be by lining up behind the candidate, candidate’s portrait or agent.
The party will today experiment the universal adult suffrage voting without using a secret ballot.
The voting system changed from secret ballot to lining up behind candidates after the party constitution was amended during the January 25 delegates conference upon the proposal by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) chaired by President Museveni.
The NRM electoral commission, chaired by Mr Tanga Odoi, says 12.9 million members are expected to vote in the party primaries in more than 6,000 villages across the country.
However, there are several contentious issues that are likely to trigger unpleasant outcomes during the voting today.
The most sticking issue is the President’s directive that unregistered members of the party who show up today to vote should be allowed to vote upon proper identification and verification.
There have been complaints about altered or distorted party voters register with some villages having more names on the new registers than the ones previously registered. Some registers have some members’ names crossed out.
The third element is that there are party members who are neither on the original or new registers, but will demand to vote today. Resolving this conundrum will not be easy on polling venues.

Presidential directive
On September 2, the party NRM chairman, Mr Museveni issued a statement saying any unregistered voter who turns up at a polling station aged 18 or above and is known by the village committee as a party supporter, he or she is allowed to vote.
“Where there are no registers, the branch (village) executive committee shall verify and register all members eligible to vote,” Mr Museveni’s letter reads in part.
“This activity can be handled transparently, either prior or on the voting day by the branch and should not be a source of conflict. Copies of registers used should immediately after this exercise be forwarded to the secretary general of the NRM,” Mr Museveni added in the letter addressed to Mr Odoi.
The President’s directive has left the party members and contestants in a precarious situation as the voter register may cause disagreements between the registered and unregistered voters, a fertile area for conflict.
However, Mr Odoi yesterday assured the NRM members that the elections will go smoothly with the electoral officials in all villages taking into account the party chairman’s guidance.
He insisted that the claims being raised in some parts of the country that the register has both handwritten and printed names do not mean there was foul play.
“We have members who were captured in the last 2016 [register]. Those have a typed section but the majority were handwritten recently and that is what we are using,” Mr Odoi said.
He told journalists at his office on Kyadondo Road in Kampala that after Mr Museveni’s letter, most of the queries that had been anticipated have been addressed.
“The position has been addressed by the chairman. Our position is that the register is a first column of voting but those who don’t appear in that register but are genuine members of the NRM, the chairman has further advised that they will vote after the village committee verifies them,” Mr Odoi added.
With the national voters roll recently updated by the Electoral Commission, 17 million voters are expected to participate in the 2021 General Election.
It is not clear what numbers may turn up at polling stations for the NRM polls today.
The Opposition parties have not officially declared how many voters they have on their party registers and have been or are conducting their primary elections through electoral colleges.
Makerere University political science lecturer Yusuf Sserunkuma said with or without violence resulting from the decision to have unregistered voters participate in today’s polls, Mr Museveni’s directive suggests the NRM chairman will always decide for the party.
“This is a true statement that Mr Museveni is NRM and NRM is Museveni but this is a very candid reflection of the national condition of all political parties in Uganda. They are what the men at the helm want them to be and act,” he said.
Mr Sserunkuma said the fact that NRM is the only party that fields candidates in all electoral areas means today’s election is important and any negative effects will impact seriously on how the party will perform in next year’s elections.
Election expert Crispin Kahero warned that not having a concrete register on the polling day means the party is likely to face challenges to identify and verify new unregistered members to be registered to vote today.
“The party needs to strike a balance between having an inclusive register on one hand and a clean register on the other. A last minute opening up of the register also opens the register and the polling exercise to the vulnerabilities of manipulation,” Mr Kaheru said.
Mr Emmanuel Dombo, the NRM’s director for communication and media, however, downplayed any fear that the party will face a challenge of identifying and verifying unregistered voters that will show up to vote.
He said the village committees know all the residents and can quickly tell who supports NRM or the Opposition among those who will turn up to vote.
“The chairman’s position puts everything right and there will be no violence because the voting is being done at the village level where everyone is known. The people will first be determined to be of voting age based on their national Identity Cards and birth certificates for those who may come with them,” Mr Dombo said.
Meanwhile, the people of Mawogolo West in Ssembabule District will have to wait for an unknown day to elect their flag bearer for MP seat after the NRM electoral commission postponed the polls to a later date for fear of violence. The hotly contested seat has pitted Ssembabule Woman MP Anifa Kawooya against incumbent MP Joseph Ssekabiito.
Ms Kawooya early this week displayed bruises on her body, saying she was assaulted by Mr Ssekabiito’s supporters.
Mr Odoi said yesterday that the party EC resolved to “postpone the NRM primary elections for Member of Parliament of Mawogola West County constituency to a date which shall be communicated.”
He said the decision will allow time to investigate the incidents and also give time to Ms Kawooya to seek medication.
Mr Odoi also named the other hot spots in today’s voting as Mityana , Bushenyi, Rwampara, Sembabule, Kazo, Bushenyi, Sheema , Isingiri, Tororo, Amudat , Kyenjojo, Hoima and Butaleja districts.
Daily Monitor talked to various NRM members and contestants to get their views on the unregistered voters being allowed to vote today and they gave mixed reactions.
Ms Judith Abaru, a voter in one of the districts in West Nile said: “Why should he (Museveni) issue this directive yet some people were not prepared to vote? This is not good for our internal democracy. This is where rigging will take place.”
The NRM chairperson for Obongi District, Mr Gregory Drale, said they would defy Mr Museveni’s directive because they were yet to “receive [official] communication from the party headquarters.”
Mr Tonny Awany, an aspirant for Nwoya West MP seat, however, was happy with unregistered voters allowed to vote; “I believe it’s going to be in my favour because I have more support on the ground.”
In Bududa District where there have been reports of ghost voters on the register, the security committee has already intervened.
The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mr John Watenyeli Nabende, said they had summoned NRM leaders to explain the irregularities.
Mr Micheal Wanditi Watalunga, the area NRM registrar, told Daily Monitor that some people could have been registered twice, which is illegal.
In Bugiri District, party officials say at least 13,8000 voters are eligible to vote.
Mr Daniel Ngiya Dhikusooka, the party district registrar, said: “We want to ensure free and fair elections within our party to protect both the party and government image.”
In Namutumba, the NRM district chairperson, Mr Siraje Gusongoirye, said they were set for the voting despite some pockets of violence between rival candidates and supporters.