Lukwago leads Kampala poll

Mar 15, 2011

KAMPALA Central MP Erias Lukwago was leading in yesterday’s city mayoral race, early results showed. <i>New Vision</i> compiled the results from 128 out of 1,440 polling stations around the city.

By Vision Reporters

KAMPALA Central MP Erias Lukwago was leading in yesterday’s city mayoral race, early results showed. New Vision compiled the results from 128 out of 1,440 polling stations around the city.

The results showed that Lukwago (independent) had garnered 28,908 votes.

His closest contender, Peter Sematimba (NRM), had 13,934. This is a difference of 14,974 votes.

Lukwago won in most polling stations, including Kakeeka in Rubaga Division where Ssematimba voted from.
At Kakeeka, Lukwago got 189 votes, while Sematimba got 76.

At St. Henry’s Church in Makindye Division, where Michael Mabikke (SDP) cast his vote, Lukwago got 105 votes, Sematimba polled 100 and Mabikke got four.

Kampala residents voted for the city mayor and district (LC5) councillors yesterday after all other districts completed their elections. Yesterday was declared a holiday for only Kampala.

The Electoral Commission called off the first elections on February 23 when violence broke out after reports that voting had started before the prescribed time (7:00am) and that there had been ballot stuffing and rigging.

According to the preliminary results, Ssematimba is followed by Mabikke with 457votes from the 128 polling stations.

Francis Babu and Sandra Ngabo (both independents) had less than 200 votes each. Emmanuel Tumusiime of the Forum for Integrity in Leadership (FIL) got only 30 votes from the sampled polling stations.

Yesterday’s exercise went on peacefully, save for a few anomalies and a light drizzle in the afternoon. Voting materials arrived in time and by 9:00am queues had slowly began forming at most polling stations.

However, the exercise was marred by low voter turn-up compared to the presidential and parliamentary elections.

To avert earlier incidents of ballot stuffing, Lukwago deployed a strong team of opposition MPs and politicians who kept moving from one station to another.

In Kawempe division, the team comprised Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebagala, Muwanga Kivumbi and Jude Mbabali.

In Nakawa, the team comprised FDC deputy publicist Sarah Eperu, FDC spokesperson and Bukooli central MP-elect Wafula Oguttu.

Lukwago deployed FDC vice-president Salaamu Musumba, Kyandondo North MP-elect Ssemujju Nganda and Michael Kabaziguluka at the army barracks polling stations in Mbuya and Makindye.

In most polling stations, the previous presiding officers and their assistants were seen stranded after they found new people in their places.

Eperu complained that the EC had not changed all the officials as it had promised.

Ssebagala commended the peace that prevailed during the elections.
However, he disclosed that one of his people was picked up at the new Bubajjwe polling station by plain-clothed men and had not been seen. “I have contacted the Police and they have promised to search for him,” Ssebagala added.

Ssematimba said in his 100 days, he would start by cleaning up the city and creating jobs for both educated and uneducated youth. “I can’t be proud that I am a mayor of a dirty city, yet the people know me as a very hygienic person,” he said.

Conversely, Mabikke hit at the EC, calling it an incompetent and impotent agency that could not organise a free and fair election.

He alleged that in Mbuya barracks, soldiers were voting more than once, and that he would not accept the results which will be declared, except if he won the race.

Despite the calmness, few voters turned up to vote. By about 30 minutes to midday, only 257 voters out of over 1,500 had cast their votes at the three polling stations based at Kamwokya Community Centre.

At Old Catholic Church polling station in the same area, only 58 people had voted by 11:10am, while at Nalunkuuma centre, only 50 people had voted by 10:30am. At Arua Park polling station, only 68 people had cast there votes by mid-day.

Some of the people interviewed in Kamwokya said they were reluctant to vote for fear of violence, while others said they had no reason to vote since the winning candidate was already known.

“We know it will be very hard for Erias Lukwago to win this election, unless the exercise is free and fair. So there is no reason why I should participate in such an exercise,” Musa Kiberu, a vendor in Kamwokya Market, said.

Voting at Army shop polling station in Mengo came to a standstill for an hour, after the voters failed to agree with the polling assistants on whether to shift the polling station due to the down pour.
The polling assistants wanted to shift the station to a nearby restaurant but the voters blocked the move, arguing that the aim was to rig the elections.

Apollo Tusubiira, one of the voters who resisted the move, said it was inappropriate to shift a polling station without the knowledge of the EC. After being halted by the voters, polling assistants wrapped the voting materials and left them under the rain.

In Nakawa, polling officials complained over EC’s failure to provide them with umbrellas for use during strong sunshine and rain like it was yesterday.

At some polling stations in Najjanankumbi, the polling materials were not enough but the voters improvised when they brought basins from their homes for the exercise to go on.

Aside, the general calm notwithstanding, the process did not go without any skirmishes. Drama ensued at Nakasero Market polling station in the morning when traders and other voters pelted Kampala Central Division chairman Godfrey Nyakaana with rotten tomatoes, watermelons and other rotten food stuffs after he defied their call to vacate the station. It took the Police intervention to get him off the scene before the voters turned rowdy.

A senior officer in charge of security at Nakasero IV Parish, Israel Wambyeso, confirmed the scuffle but said no person had been arrested in connection to the incident.

Nyakaana recently beat six candidates to retain his seat. Voters at the scene said they reacted angrily because they suspected his “presence to create an environment for rigging.”

Chaos also blew up at Bat Valley polling station between Police officers deployed at the station and Lukwago’s supporters after the latter attempted to lynch an area LC chairman, Moses Kateregga.

The crowd became rowdy on suspicion that Kateregga had sneaked in pre-ticked ballot papers for NRM’s Ssematimba into the polling station.

But Kateregga explained that he had brought water and bread for his agents which the Police had approved.

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