FDC's Musumba loses Kamuili election

May 12, 2007

THE ruling NRM scored major victories in yesterday’s by-elections in three eastern districts, winning the LC5 chairman seat in Kamuli and Bududa but losing to an independent candidate in Pallisa.

By Nathan Etengu,
George Bita,
Moses Nampala
and Milton Olupot


THE ruling NRM scored major victories in yesterday’s by-elections in three eastern districts, winning the LC5 chairman seat in Kamuli and Bududa but losing to an independent candidate in Pallisa.

In stiffly-contested polls, the NRM candidate in Kamuli, Stephen Mubiru, narrowly defeated FDC vice-president Proscovia Salaamu Musumba.

Electoral Commissioner Joseph Biribonwa, said Mubiru won 46,322 votes, (47.3%) while Musumba got 44,444 votes (45.4%). Independent candidate Moses Lubowa trailed with 7,171 votes or 7.3%.

There were crazy scenes in Kamuli town last night after Mubiru was declared the winner at around 4:00 am. Earlier, there were celebrations in the town by FDC supporters after provisional poll results from the town showed Musumba was leading.

FDC has rejected the Kamuli results. “The turn-up of less than fifty percent shows that people were intimidated. We also have evidence of widespread malpractice. We shall sit down and analyse the results before taking a decision on what to do next,” said party spokesman Wafula Oguttu.

The Electoral Commission appealed to all sides to respect the outcome. “My appeal to all those who took part in the elections is to understand that in such an exercise there is always a loser and a winner. Let us learn to accept defeat when our candidate loses,” said Biribonwa.

In the newly-created district of Bududa, close to the Kenyan border, NRM candidate Wilson Watira trounced two independent candidates. Watira won with 18,471 votes against Solomon Bukoma (11,111) and Wambi Wafusayo (434).
However, the ruling party suffered a setback in Pallisa, where its candidate, Dr. Patrick Mutono, was humiliated by former Makerere University Guild President, Issa Bantalib Taligoola.

The latter got 70,891 votes (70%) against 30,335 for Mutono. Supporters carried their candidate shoulder-high around Pallisa town as they jubilated: “Taligola our man! Taligola no change!”

Taligola, 35, vowed to fight tribalism in Pallisa politics. “We want to eliminate that false notion that one group in the district is being favoured while the other is marginalised. Once that aspect has been addressed our orientation will be towards lobbying for development in Pallisa district,” he said.

He stressed that he did not belong to any political party. “My support came from NRM, FDC and even UPC. That is why some of my supporters flashed the FDC sign while others flashed the thumbs-up sign,” he said.

The chairman of the Electoral Commission, Badru Kiggundu, who monitored the exercise in Pallisa, appealed to the loser to accept the results and join the winner in developing a plan for the development of the district.
“Winning does not mean that losing is hogwash. I appeal to the electorate to remain calm and friendly to one another. After all, Pallisa district and Uganda as a whole must remain one,” he said.

In separate elections for mayor of Manafwa town, the FDC candidate, Stephen Waneroba, won a landslide victory, defeating NRM candidate Richard Wopata and four independent candidates.

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