Mayoral aspirants want refund

Four of the city’s mayoral candidates are demanding Shs60 million each from the Electoral Commission (EC) to compensate for expenses they incurred in the botched elections last week.

Mr Michael Mabikke (IPC), Capt. Francis Babu (ind), Mr Emmanuel Tumusiime (ind) and Ms Sandra Ngabo Katebalirwe (ind) are demanding the EC responds to their petition within 48 hours.

The petition also asks candidates implicated in the election malpractices that happened on polling day to be disqualified.

The EC has not pronounced itself on the matter even when some candidates had earlier called for the disqualification of Mr Peter Sematimba (NRM). Many ballot papers that were discovered at some polling stations were preticked in favour of the NRM candidate.

The stations were allegedly opened as early as 4am yet the official start of polling is 7am. The ballot boxes had also been stuffed ready for counting of ballots.

“We do not know if anybody has been brought to book. Has any of the affected candidates involved in messing up of the exercise been disciplined? And why has the Electoral Commission not apologised to Kampala voters?” Mr Babu asked the press yesterday, on behalf of the group.

EC Secretary Sam Rwakoojo denied any responsibility on behalf of the commission for the fracas at the polls last week, saying the commission is not obligated to reimburse anyone.

“We won’t reimburse anyone. The EC, as government, spent money on organising these elections and unfortunately they did not take place. So who do we get that money from?” Mr Rwakoojo asked.
“It wasn’t our fault that those elections were stopped, it was whoever did the malpractice’s fault.”

The commission last week announced that an additional Shs2 billion would be needed to have a repeat of the mayoral election, a bigger percentage of which will be for printing the ballot papers.

The February 23 polls were cancelled after ballot-stuffing and violence erupted at several polling stations across Kampala. Dozens were injured and arrested, and according to the Uganda Red Cross Society, at least four people were killed.

Mr Rwakoojo said the commission is working closely with the police to ensure the newly-announced March 14 election date does not meet the same fate.

The police have warned they are ready to check any disruptions of the poll.

Though he acknowledged that EC agents were involved in the rigging, Mr Rwakoojo said those suspected have been removed from the process, and that opposition parties will have increased access to the polls.

The EC chairman, Dr Badru Kiggundu, said he had identified new presiding officers and polling officials to conduct the polls.

But Uganda Law Society president Bruce Kyerere said the candidates’ complaints are warranted but warned: “As to whether they will be refunded, the law does not seem to anticipate that situation, but I think that’s a valid claim and it can be taken to court.”