Brig. Nalweyiso tasks Besigye on vote rigging claims

Brig. Proscovia Nalweyiso has tasked Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye to avail to the public the list of all his polling agents and also reveal how his votes were stolen in the just-concluded February 18 general elections.

Besigye, who is currently under police surveillance at his residence in Kasangati, has contested the elections, describing them as ‘fraudulent'. The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) politician got 35%, while president-elect, Yoweri Museveni, polled 60%.

However, in a letter to New Vision, Nalweyiso, who is the deputy chairperson of the army retirement team, whose role is to oversee the veteran's compensation, calls upon the public to critically assess Besigye's assertion that the polls were rigged, detailing a number of questions for the opposition to ponder about.

"I want them to also tell me how votes are stolen because they have made this claim over and over. It is like a song now for Opposition to say that votes have been stolen but they never explain to the public how their votes have been stolen," she says.

Nalweyiso also draws the attention of the opposition to the fact that before the general elections kicked-off, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) had 12 lawmakers and 10 LC5 chairpersons unopposed.

 "I want them to avail to the public a list of polling agents that they used at all polling stations. For Museveni's case, he has the list and he can avail it. This will help us to start a debate on who has more support. Let the opposition be truthful and avail this list of polling agents, and they should also attach the telephone contacts of these agents so that we can establish the truth," she says.

Before these elections, Nalweyiso argues that Besigye and FDC president, Maj.Gen. Mugisha Muntu, whom she describes as a ‘fellow fighter', should have thought about these following questions:

"Did they also know that this person enjoys the support at village level and that these people love him more than them?

"Did they know that Museveni had already got twelve MPs who were unopposed?

"This means that FDC didn't have people to front, which was a huge advantage that Museveni had over my fellow fighters in Opposition," says Nalweyiso.

"I therefore dare my fellow fighters to mention any FDC MP who went through unopposed! The NRM has 10 district chairpersons who are unopposed. Do they know that all these are strong members of NRM and that they fully support Museveni? Even their supporters sided with Museveni."

Nalweyiso is one of the highest-ranking female UPDF officers.

She participated in the Luwero bush war (1981-1986) which brought Museveni into power. During the Luwero trenches, Nalweyiso led the women's wing from 1983.