NRM EC reconciles Manafwa candidates, suspends Katikamu campaigns

MANAFA - The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has suspended the campaigns of one of the candidates vying for the Katikamu South seat in the party primaries.

The commission chairperson announced the suspension while meeting some of the candidates in the race at the party headquarters on Kyadondo Road in Kampala on Thursday (July 10).

Odoi summoned all the candidates for a hearing at the headquarters after complaints that Mugisha was ferrying hooligans into the constituency to cause confusion. Most of the hooligans were reportedly from Kampala.

“He is the one aiding and abetting the movement of people from the ghettos of Kawempe to cause confusion,” Patricia Magara, one of the candidates, told Odoi.

Faridah Nakalawa said some candidates are ferrying people to the joint campaign rallies to heckle their rivals.

Mugisha did not attend the hearing. In response to the complaints, Odoi said: “He was invited for the meeting, but he refused to come. We are now writing to him to suspend all his campaign activities until he meets the commission and we discuss the way forward with him.”

Odoi suspended joint campaigns, but said the rest of the candidates can campaign independently, but under a programme agreeable to all the parties. Three candidates are competing for the NRM card in the constituencies. They are Mugisha, Nakalawa and Magara.

Meanwhile, the same commission yesterday reconciled the rival parliamentary and LC5 chairperson candidates who are competing for the NRM flag in Manafwa district following incidents of violence during joint campaigns.

In a letter dated July 9 to all aspiring candidates, the Party EC chairperson, Dr. Tanga Odoi, summoned the candidates alongside the Residence District Commissioner, the party electoral officials and the district party chairman.

Odoi said the campaigns in Butiru constituency were marred by violence, which forced security to fire gunshots to disperse the rallies.

“The purpose of this meeting is to address the concerns arising from the incident, reaffirm the party’s expectations regarding conduct during campaigns, and collectively agree on steps to ensure peace, discipline, free and fair elections,” Odoi said.

Early this week, at a rally in Buwaya town council, rowdy youth disrupted the joint campaigns. The candidates had also accused each other of voter bribery.

In Butiru constituency, Godfrey Wakooli, the incumbent MP, accused his rival Mafumo Kefa of bribing voters with hoes.

Rose Mutonyi, who is competing for the district woman MP seat, accused her rival, Annet Musibikha, of excessive voter bribery.

“She is using a lot of money and bragging about it,” Mutonyi told Odoi.
All the candidates apologised and vowed not to repeat what they had been doing.