I’m being bad-mouthed by lazy voters, says Singh

Residents of Makamba Zone finally elected their LC1 chairperson on Wednesday, having boycotted the exercise a day earlier after accusing you of trying to manipulate the process. Some can look at your stepping down as admission of guilt
No, I am a person who believes in harmony. One thing my mother told me is that everything is possible. I can go as the vice chairperson and people end up knowing me more than the chairperson himself. LC chairperson is for serving the people and you can serve them in different capacities. That is why I accepted to step down.

How would you rate the just concluded nationwide LC election exercise?
These elections would have been free and fair if there was not too much interference from people who do not understand politics. Up to now people don’t know that for one to be eligible for the elections, they had to re-register themselves.
Others became very lazy and stayed at their homes; they are the ones shouting for people at the polling stations when they don’t find their names on the register.

But for your case you were accused of carrying the register to your house and registering non-residents of Makamba Zone
I only offered EC [Electoral Commission] a place to do their work. I was serving my country. Does that mean anything bad at all? People should get things clear… there is helping and forcing. I was helping...

Helping the EC with your house for registration?
Actually, it wasn’t my home. It was outside the compound of my house.

And residents say you added people who are not from the village on the register...
Those are lies! And I can clearly see you have fallen for them. I told you those are just haters and lazy voters who did not go to register. Having not seen their names on the register they are now shouting.

But you and I saw the village leaders and voters argue that most of the members on the register are not from this village
What does the law say? It says as long as you work in that place, rent or are a resident, you qualify to vote. I have more than 50 people working in my home so why not register them for voting? It is someone’s choice to vote or not and I did not force anyone to the polling station. However, if anyone has evidence that I brought more voters, they can bring it out and we tussle.

You were the Member of Parliament for Rubaga North and forced out by court. You then stood for LCI in your village, and were forced to step down. What next?
I have always been a leader right from 1996 when I came from Kimanya in Masaka [District] where I grew up from. And since I have stepped down on LCI chairperson, I will stand for LCII.
There are always many opportunities in life, when you fail to get bread, at least don’t miss out on fish.

Mr Singh’s take on Key issues

Despite these stumbling blocks in your political career, you seem to recover rather quickly. What drives you?
I have told you that I have always been a leader. In fact, I call upon my constituents to take me back to Parliament come 2021. That is where I am destined to be.

To people who call you a political failure...
Who are those people? I can tell you that during the time I was put out of Parliament, it is on record that the judge who handled my case had more than 14 cases of NRM party members which he ruled against. If they call me a failure, I don’t understand because I am one person who tries out everything.

On disorganised preparations for visit of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on July 24
You know I have haters in and around this country. I am not the chair of this committee; I am just a joint secretary managing security. I don’t know why people fear me. Mr Pradip Karia and Mr Mohan Rao will co-chair the organisation of the visit. I only have been tasked to secure the venue which all people have agreed that we go Kololo Airstrip as opposed to Speke Resort Munyonyo as others had anticipated.