Arrests mar Butaleja voting exercise

Police arrest at least 18 people for inciting violence, vote bribery, multiple voting and impersonation.

Butaleja

The Butaleja District Woman MP by-election kicked off at a slow pace yesterday amid heavy police deployment and a wave of arrests of supporters of Ms Felista Namwihiri, the candidate for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change.
Police were by press time holding at least 18 people for various offences, including inciting violence, vote bribery,
multiple voting and impersonation.

Observers reported that voting started around 7:30am, instead of 7am at most polling stations due to lack of a minimum of
five voters to witness the opening process. “The low turn-out in most areas has been attributed to the presence of heavy
security personnel and machinery which has potentially served to intimidate (or scare away) the electorate,” a statement
from the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU), an observer group, noted.

Police on Sunday arrested Ms Salaamu Musumba, the FDC vice-president [Eastern], Mr Francis Mwijukye, a member of the
party’s publicity committee and Mr Sam Mugumya, a member of the youth league. Mr Ahmed Washaki, the Bugokokho Sub-county chairperson and a supporter of the FDC candidate, was arrested at Busolwe Town Council and transferred to the Mbale Central Police Station yesterday.

Police also confirmed that three voters were arrested and detained in Busolwe Sub-county for allegedly inciting violence.
Six voters were arrested in Busaba, Maizimasa and Kachonga polling stations for allegedly engaging in multiple voting as
their fingers had indelible ink, indicating that they had already voted.

“Apart from these minor cases, the whole exercise has been a success as no major incident was reported. This has been
attributed to the heavy deployment of police in the whole district to counter any acts of violence,” Mr Vicent Ssekate, the
police spokesperson, said.

Ms Namwihiri said she would not accept the results if they are not in her favour, citing “massive intimidation and heavy
deployment.” Mr Wafula Oguttu, the FDC spokesman, dismissed police allegations of inciting violence by party supporters as
“rubbish”. “That is fake because she (Ms Musumba) was going to visit her grandmother in Himitu Sub-county and was carrying sugar and meat for her. Police is making unnecessary arrests because they fear that the NRM will lose the by-election,” Mr Oguttu said. When we went to press, counting of ballots had just began.

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