How FDC won Rukungiri Woman MP seat

Rukungiri.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Ms Betty Muzanira, was yesterday morning declared winner of the Rukungiri District Woman MP by-election, bringing the number of the party MPs from the district to three.
The others FDC MPs from Rukungiri are Roland Kaginda (Rukungiri Municipality) and Fred Turyamuhweza (Rujumbura). The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party now only retains Rubabo County represented by Ms Paula Turyahikayo.

The results
Ms Muzanira polled 50,611 votes, while her closest rival, NRM’s Winfred Masiko, polled 46,379 votes. Former Minister Sezi Mbaguta, who stood as an Independent, came a distant third with 993 votes, while Ms Fabith Kukundakwe of the People’s Progressive Party, got 183 votes.
The seat fell vacant on March 22 when Court of Appeal nullified the election of Ms Masiko after she was found guilty of giving donations during the 2016 election campaigns. The petition had been filed by Ms Muzanira, her closest challenger in the 2016 election.

Declaration
The district Returning Officer, Mr Umaru Kiyimba, did not declare the final election results until 5:28 am yesterday after a night of tension witnessed by Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama.
The tally centre was tightly guarded by security personnel and all roads to the centre remained closed. Only those accredited accessed the centre. The FDC team led by the party president, Mr Patrick Amuriat, also included party mobilisation secretary Ingrid Turinawe.
They were joined by Dr Kizza Besigye a few minutes after the winner had been announced.
The FDC team had been vigilant throughout the tallying, crosschecking what was declared from polling stations with what their agents at polling stations had on the declaration of results forms.

Results cancelled
There was a disagreement over results from Burora Parish headquarters Polling Station in Nyarushanje Sub-county. The form that came in with the results indicated that Ms Muzanira polled 30 votes while Ms Masiko had polled 695 votes.
The declaration of results form that FDC agents had, however, indicated that Ms Muzanira polled 117 votes, while Ms Masiko got 270 votes at the polling station. It took more than an hour to resolve the impasse. It was agreed that results be left out of the tallying exercise.
FDC supporters took to the streets to celebrate the victory after they got news of Ms Muzanira’s win. Security remained watchful but did not intervene.
The FDC team drove out of the tally centre to Rwakabengo in Southern Division, Dr Besigye’s home around 6.30 am.