Besigye Team Barred From Opening Mbale Ballot Boxes

By Jonathan Angura in Mbale COL. Kizza Besigye's representatives were yesterday stopped by election officials and former task force members of President Yoweri Museveni in Mbale, from opening ballot boxes to get election documents for use in the election petition. The seven ballot boxes, picked from Mbale Central Police Station where they were kept, were from polling stations where Besigye alleges the March 12 presidential elections were rigged. The boxes were to be opened in the presence of Besigye and Museveni agents, the Police and election officials. Besigye agents, led by Mr. Bazil Oketta, the Police representative and the registrar, Mr. Jimmy Musimbi, waited for Museveni's agents for over three hours. Museveni's former district task force chairman, Mr. Charles Walimbwa, who is also the district LC5 chairman, later came and said the boxes were not to be opened unless Museveni's lawyers were present. "You are not to open the boxes unless President Museveni's lawyers come. I have just received a call from Kampala," Walimbwa said and left. The Returning Officer, Mr. Fred Bukheni, said, "This thing has been so controversial. I advise you (Oketta) to get in touch with Balikuddembe (Besigye's lead counsel in the petition) who in turn should get in touch with the Museveni side." The Electoral Commission chairman, Mr. Aziz Kasujja, in a letter to the Mbale district returning officer, instructed him to avail the voters' roll for each polling station and results declaration forms from the presiding officers. The seven ballot boxes, three of them without seals, were from Bungokho North and South and Bubulo East constituencies. Ends