‘I’ll Work With Rutaroh’

THE Rukungiri LC5 chairman-elect, Gabriel Kangwagye, has pledged to work with his opponent, Athanasius Rutaroh, writes Grace Matsiko.Rutaroh, a Reform Agenda-backed candidate lost to Kangwagye in last Thursday’s elections.Kangwagye, who was cheered by thousands of supporters at Rukungiri Stadium shortly after he was declared winner, said his supporters and those who did not support his election bid will be treated equally during his term of office.“I call upon Mr. Rutaroh and his supporters to accept defeat. They should come and we work together. I am ready to work with them,” Kangwagye said as his supporters burst into shouts of “Movement Oyee, Chama Oyee.”Kangwagye, a Movement favourite, won with 60% of the votes cast.Health minister Brig. Jim Muhwezi and state minister for youth and children affairs Alex Kamugisha attended the rally.“One of my priority areas will be reconciliation. People here have been sharply divided by the presidential elections. My work now is to see that I bring our people together,” Kangwagye said.He said, without unity, Rukungiri was likely to lag behind.Meanwhile, Rutaroh has attacked the Electoral Commission for having failed to address his grievances, reports William Bakandema.Rutaro was on Saturday testifying before the parliamentary select committee probing election violence, at Rukungiri Catholic Social Centre. The three-member committee was comprised of MPs Dorah Byamukama, (Mwenge South), Rev. Mbabazi Kabushenga (Kinkizi West), and Tom Ananga Odul, (Kwania).Rutaroh said the Electoral Commission (EC) chairman Hajji Aziz Kasujja and his commissioners served the interests of the appointing authority and were not independent.He said the EC’s Sr. Margaret Magooba, who oversaw elections in Rukungiri, did not live up to her expectations.Rutaroh further said violence in elections was institutionalised from the top. He said an institution like the Police was undermined by other security organs.He also said the electoral law was inadequate and could not address issues pertaining to election violence.Ends