M7 votes at home

By Henry Mukasa in Rwakitura
President Yoweri Museveni yesterday afternoon cast his vote at Rwakitura polling station in Kiruhura district at 3:27pm.
He arrived at the polling station aboard a military helicopter at 3:20pm, accompanied by his daughter Patience Rwabwogo, to enthusiastic clapping by residents.
State House sources said his wife Janet and two daughters voted in Ntungamo, where she is vying for a parliamentary seat.
As soon as he walked out of the white ribbon-cordoned voting perimeter, Museveni was swarmed by local and international journalists, who asked if he was sure of victory.
“Obviously I will win and NRM will win,” Museveni said. “I expect to win in the first run,” he added. Asked by what margin, the President replied guardedly, “You will know tonight.”
Museveni joined the queue and stood sixth in the line, chatting with elderly people seated within the voting perimeter.
Patience, wearing flowered light green trousers with a white blouse and green neck scarf, stood in front of her father.
Museveni leaned over to the seated polling officials, Emmanuel Kwesiga and Wilson Bwengye and said calmly, “This is my number.” He was handed his ballot and sauntered as he scrutinised the ballot to the table with a red basin a few metres away, where he ticked his choice.
As he folded the ballot, an aide reminded him not to fold it horizontally, as he had, but vertically.
At a desk immediately next to that he was given an MPs’ ballot paper, which he also ticked and placed in a black ballot box as he asked a polling assistant, “You got only one such (transparent) box?”
He moved over to a table with an ink pad (of indelible ink) to signal that he had voted.
On realising that the press had ambushed him, Museveni said, “Lets not do it here. Don’t disrupt the polling exercise.”
Ends