Confusion as residents try to block MP Ssewungu from voting

The Kalungu West Member of Parliament, Mr Joseph Ssewungu. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Ms Lukia accused Ssewungu of influencing many of her supporters to line up behind her opponent and causing confusion at the polling station yet he is expected to be exemplary as a legislator.
  • In his defence, Ssewungu said he owns a residence in the area, accusing the NRM camp of spreading rumours' that he is a non-resident to distract him from canvassing support for the DP candidate.

There was confusion at Kaliro Village, Kalungu Rural Town Council in Kalungu District as a section of residents blocked area Member of Parliament, Joseph Ssewungu from participating in the Local Council elections, accusing him of being a non-resident.

The residents, mainly those subscribing to the ruling NRM party claimed that Mr Ssewungu wanted to use the opportunity to give an upper hand to the Democratic Party candidate in the race, Mr Aloysius Bwanika. But Ssewungu insisted and voted, saying that no one can stop him from voting since his name appears in the village voters’ register.

This prompted the NRM candidate, Ms Lukia Kakooza to boycott the exercise and called all her supporters to abandon the polling station, but some stayed behind and voted in her favour. Mr Bwanika was consequently declared winner after polling 170 votes against Kakooza who managed to get eight votes.

Ms Lukia accused Ssewungu of influencing many of her supporters to line up behind her opponent and causing confusion at the polling station yet he is expected to be exemplary as a legislator.

In his defence, Ssewungu said he owns a residence in the area, accusing the NRM camp of spreading rumours' that he is a non-resident to distract him from canvassing support for the DP candidate.

Nadduli’s son defeated

At Kisawe Village in Luweero District, Mr Jakana Nadduli (Ind), son to minister without portfolio Hajj Abdul Nadduli, was defeated by Stephen Malebe (Ind).

Surprisingly, Mr Jakana asked his supporters including his father to line up behind Mr Malebe after realizing that he had more support than him.
Ms Alex Komuhangi, the Luweero District Returning Officer said she had registered multiple complaints from different villages.

“We are handling all these complaints as they come,” Komuhangi said in an interview.
At about 12:30pm, voters from Kiyenje Zone in Luweero Town Council stormed the EC office demanding for cancellation of the election exercise following the announcement of Mr Topher Ssegujja as the winner, despite the alleged irregularities.

In the newly created Kyotera District, Mary Nantongo, the elder sister of Joseph Tamale Mirundi defeated Joseph Kabugu, the Democratic Party chairperson for Kyotera District.

Nantongo, who has been the chairperson of Kalagala Village for two decades, won with 128 votes against Mr Kabugu who got 52 votes only.
In Sembabule, voting went on smoothly in 13 ‘ghost’ villages despite resistance from Lwemiyaga County MP and a section of residents.

In Kasaana Village, one of the said ghost villages, Ismail Kyalugahi (Ind) won with 47 votes while his rivals Godfrey Jumba and Flavia Kyampuli got 4 and 35 votes respectively.

Mr Zabrone Kweyamba, a contestant at Nsagazi A, in Ntuusi Sub–County was locked up at Ntuusi Police station after he ran away with the voter register upon realising that no voter had lined behind him. Voters ran after him and caught him when he had already torn the register into pieces.

In Matete Town council, voting only took place in five out of 14 villages after voters turned rowdy forcing officials to cancel the exercise.
In Kayunga District, there was chaos at some polling stations over eligibility of some voters which forced Electoral Commission to postpone the elections.

"Election at some polling stations was cancelled after some voters pulled others from queues which caused commotion," Ms Rose Birungi, the Kayunga Resident District Commissioner said.

Complied by Ambroze Musasizi, Moses Muwulya & Fred Muzaale