Ssebaana Protests

By Milton OlupotKampala mayor John Ssebaana Kizito has complained to the Electoral Commission, over what he called a vilification campaign against his candidature by President Yoweri Museveni.Ssebaana, in a letter to the commission yesterday, said Museveni had stepped-up a campaign against him. He said Museveni used “ugly rhetoric and serious abuses” against him.“He has also convened two meetings of Movement mobilisers during which he has vowed to use all resources at his disposal to fight me out of city hall,” Ssebaana said in his petition.The mayor also said it was apparent that the EC was neglecting or losing control over its own constitutional obligation of conducting a credible, free and fair elections. Museveni on Wednesday brokered a meeting in which Kayunga RDC Naava Nabagesera stood down for the Kampala central division chairman, Wasswa Ziritwawula, in a bid to oust Ssebaana.Ssebaana’s political assistant, Matthias Nsubuga, however, yesterday said they were not scared by the move. He said the stronger candidates had dropped out and most of their supporters had already moved into Ssebaana’s camp. “Since yesterday we are overwhelmed by the number of supporters crossing from Naava,” he said. In the letter copied to the press and diplomatic missions, Ssebaana said he had learnt of the meetings of the country’s leaders to plan to interfere with and influence the operations of the EC, particularly in Kampala.“I have received intelligence reports that fresh registration of voters in Kampala on pretext that photo identities of some of them are unclear, and that security agents from State House have taken over the Data Processing Unit of the EC to meddle with voter register.”Ssebaana has also alleged that there are plans to ferry UPDF soldiers a day before polling, to vote in illegal polling stations in Kampala. But the EC deputy spokesperson, Teddy Mugote, denied Ssebaana’s claims on illegal polling stations. Mugote said some new polling stations were created to reduce numbers to less than 1,000 voters per station.She added that she was particularly referring to the ones Ssebaana pointed out. Ssebaana said the illegal polling stations are at Makindye, near Caltex fuel station and Clock Tower grounds, where he said soldiers from Kakiri and other barracks will be ferried to vote for his opponent. He also named Kakooza Mutale’s Kalangala Action Plan and Military Intelligence and State House security personnel.Ends