NRM wins Bukhooli elections
Mar 19, 2008
MOVEMENT candidate Bakka Mugabi appeared set to sweep the Buhkooli North byelection yesterday. By press time, he had won over 16,000 votes in four of the five sub-counties.
By George Bita and Moses Nampala<,/b>
MOVEMENT candidate Bakka Mugabi appeared set to sweep the Buhkooli North byelection yesterday. By press time, he had won over 16,000 votes in four of the five sub-counties.
His closest rival, UPC’s Patrick Mwondha, had garnered slightly more than 6,000 ballots, according to unofficial results.
In the third position was JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa, with just over 3,000 votes.
Electoral Commission chief Badru Kiggundu said: “We expect to announce the final results after midnight. We are now tallying the results from the fifth subcounty.â€
The by-election was to fill the seat that fell vacant after the High Court nullified the election of Asuman Nakendo for lack of academic qualifications.
The Police mounted road blocks on all the main roads leading into the constituency.
Basalirwa criticised the police deployment, saying it was a tactical move to intimidate voters.
But Bakka disagreed with him. “I doubt whether anybody has been intimidated. Actually, this is a clear win for the ruling NRM party.â€
Earlier, the Police arrested four suspects over electoral crimes.
Spokesperson Judith Nabakoba said in addition a vehicle was impounded.
The suspects were identified as Umar S. Kyeyune and Julius Oroman, both businessmen from Kireka in Kampala.
The others were Ouma Masinde and John Bosco Ekola, a special-hire driver from Lira.
“The vehicle was intercepted after a tipoff and upon searching it 39 packets of soap, eight bars of soap and seven whips were discovered,†Nabakoba said.
She added that Edith Mwondha, the wife of the UPC candidate, had said she had been beaten by strangers but declined to make a statement at the Bugiri Police station.
However, Mwondha told the press that his wife was in a state of shock after thugs assaulted the UPC campaign camp at Savana Guest House in Bugiri town.
“She had never been through such an incident where thugs beat up law-abiding citizens indiscriminately. So she got a shock.â€
In a related situation, six other suspects, one of them Jinja-based Kiira FM radio stringer Aminsi Waiswa aka BBC, were arrested allegedly for threatening violence. Waiswa was released on Tuesday afternoon on a court bond of sh200,000.
Jimmy Musimbi, the district electoral commission chief, said 53,291 registered voters were expected to participate in the polling exercise.
A midday heavy downpour temporarily affected the polling exercise as voters took shelter in nearby buildings.
Seven candidates contested: former MP Patrick Mwondha (UPC), Stephen Bakka Mugabi (NRM), Asuman Basalirwa (JEEMA), Rachael Kagoya (DP), Mohammed Gowa (Forum for Integrity in Leadership) and independents John Onyango Oketch and Aminsi Kaziba.
MOVEMENT candidate Bakka Mugabi appeared set to sweep the Buhkooli North byelection yesterday. By press time, he had won over 16,000 votes in four of the five sub-counties.
His closest rival, UPC’s Patrick Mwondha, had garnered slightly more than 6,000 ballots, according to unofficial results.
In the third position was JEEMA’s Asuman Basalirwa, with just over 3,000 votes.
Electoral Commission chief Badru Kiggundu said: “We expect to announce the final results after midnight. We are now tallying the results from the fifth subcounty.â€
The by-election was to fill the seat that fell vacant after the High Court nullified the election of Asuman Nakendo for lack of academic qualifications.
The Police mounted road blocks on all the main roads leading into the constituency.
Basalirwa criticised the police deployment, saying it was a tactical move to intimidate voters.
But Bakka disagreed with him. “I doubt whether anybody has been intimidated. Actually, this is a clear win for the ruling NRM party.â€
Earlier, the Police arrested four suspects over electoral crimes.
Spokesperson Judith Nabakoba said in addition a vehicle was impounded.
The suspects were identified as Umar S. Kyeyune and Julius Oroman, both businessmen from Kireka in Kampala.
The others were Ouma Masinde and John Bosco Ekola, a special-hire driver from Lira.
“The vehicle was intercepted after a tipoff and upon searching it 39 packets of soap, eight bars of soap and seven whips were discovered,†Nabakoba said.
She added that Edith Mwondha, the wife of the UPC candidate, had said she had been beaten by strangers but declined to make a statement at the Bugiri Police station.
However, Mwondha told the press that his wife was in a state of shock after thugs assaulted the UPC campaign camp at Savana Guest House in Bugiri town.
“She had never been through such an incident where thugs beat up law-abiding citizens indiscriminately. So she got a shock.â€
In a related situation, six other suspects, one of them Jinja-based Kiira FM radio stringer Aminsi Waiswa aka BBC, were arrested allegedly for threatening violence. Waiswa was released on Tuesday afternoon on a court bond of sh200,000.
Jimmy Musimbi, the district electoral commission chief, said 53,291 registered voters were expected to participate in the polling exercise.
A midday heavy downpour temporarily affected the polling exercise as voters took shelter in nearby buildings.
Seven candidates contested: former MP Patrick Mwondha (UPC), Stephen Bakka Mugabi (NRM), Asuman Basalirwa (JEEMA), Rachael Kagoya (DP), Mohammed Gowa (Forum for Integrity in Leadership) and independents John Onyango Oketch and Aminsi Kaziba.