Gunshots, chaos mar NRM polls
Kampala
Violence overshadowed some of yesterday’s National Resistance Movement district elections as party heavy weights tussled. Two people were shot and injured in Ssembabule District where Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Ssekikubo stormed the venue of the polls protesting anomalies in the exercise. His rival, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, retained the seat. In Wakiso District, Vice President Gilbert Bukenya was elected NRM chairman unopposed after his main rival Ian Kyeyune pulled out.
In Butaleja and Tororo districts, the polls were postponed after rival camps clashed. The election’s biggest causalities were Public Service Minister Sseezi Mbaguta, who lost to Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi in Rukungiri District, while former Minister Edward Francis Babu lost in Kampala Central. Men armed with stones, sticks and iron bars besieged a polling station at Butaleja District headquarters and disrupted the National Resistance Movement party elections.
The group mostly comprised middle-aged men. They attacked the district chairman, Mr Richard Waya, and pelted him with stones. They accused him of conniving with one of the contestants, Mr Imran Muruga to hide about 340 delegates in Tororo for five days.
Mr Waya sustained a deep cut on his head and was only rescued by the police after shooting in the air. The group allegedly comprised supporters of area MP Emmanuel Dombo, who was also contesting for district leadership. The returning officer, Mr Joshua Nekole called off the polls and left the scene.
In Pallisa District, although Health Minister Stephen Mallinga beat Mr Sulaiman Bujumbi, for the top seat in the district, the polls delayed after it emerged that the minister allegedly ferried delegates to an unknown place and brought them at midday to vote in his favour.
In Kapchorwa District, the polls were marred by confusion during nominations of candidates for the post of the district party chairman. Mr Herbert Sabila, the Tingey MP and Dr Steven Chebrot, a former member of the Health Service Commission were in the race.
Confusion
Confusion raged after supporters of Mr Sabila demanded that Dr Chebrot be disqualified over his failure to get an acceptance letter from President Museveni after resigning from the Health Service Commission.
During the confusion, Dr Chebrot’s supporters also demanded that Mr Sabila be disqualified because he was convicted of corruption by the Anti-Corruption Court early this year. They argued that Mr Sabila was not fit to represent district at the NRM Delegates Conference.
Mr Sabila was early this year convicted of corruption after he reportedly attempted to bribe officers from the Inspector General of Government. The situation worsened fter the NRM Administrative Secretary in Kapchorwa District, Mr Athens Somikwo declared Mr Sabila the district chairperson yet both candidates had agreed to resolve the conflict in line with party regulations. Police rescued Mr Somikwo from a mob that wanted to lynch him.
In Tororo District, polls failed to take place after the two counties of Budama (for Japadhola) and Tororo County [for Iteso] failed to agree on the candidate after it emerged that the people of Tororo County demanded for their own district so that they could have a separate chairman. The other districts like Mbale, Moroto, Abim, Napak, the polls were called off due to problems that ranged from late arrival of voting materials, and complaints irregularities.
Reported by David Mafabi, Richard Otim, Augustine Emojong, Stephen Ariong & Mudangha Kolyanga
