NRM wins Hoima, Kaabong by-elections

ELECTIONS

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has emerged victorious in the Hoima and Kaabong by-elections for the district Woman MP seats.

In Hoima, NRM's Harriet Businge beat FDC's Asinansi Nyakato by over 4,000 votes.

In a close race, Businge garnered 33,301 votes against Nyakato's 28,789 votes.

The overall results were announced by Hoima Electoral District returning officer Douglas Matsiko early Friday, who declared Businge the newly-elected district Woman representative to Parliament.

The Hoima seat fell vacant after MP Tophace Kaahwa Byagira opted to represent the newly-created Kikuube district.

Hoima has two counties, one municipality, 17 sub-counties and 69 parishes. The election was conducted at 266 polling stations.

Meanwhile, the Kaabong contest was also a two-way race, with NRM's Christine Tubo Nakwang eventually comfortably beating FDC's Judith Nalibe Adyaka.

Nakwang got 22,532 votes while her challenger Adyaka polled 1,692.

Julius Ongom Ogwang, the returning officer for Kaabong Electoral District, declared Nakwang the newly-elected Kaabong district Woman MP Friday morning.

A total of 40,248 voters were registered for this by-election.

The Kaabong seat fell vacant following the relocation of the area MP Rose Akello to the newly created district of Karenga that came into effect on July 1, 2019.

On Thursday, Kaabong voters also elected their chairpersons and councillors to fill vacancies existing in various local government councils.

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Observations: 'Level of vigilance was high'

 
By Crispin Kaheru - CCEDU coordinator

Today Friday, September 27, 2019 at 03:30am, NRM candidate for the Hoima District Woman MP by-election, Businge Harriet, was announced winner in an election that pitted her against Opposition-backed Nyakato Asinansi (FDC).  

According to the Electoral Commission, Businge secured 33,301 votes and Nyakato obtained 28,789 votes.  Voter turnout was about 43% (comparatively high for a by-election).

Whereas the Opposition parties and formations benefited a great deal from uniting behind a single candidate, the NRM leveraged its access to (and use of) state resources, including government vehicles and public officers to campaign for, and get the NRM candidate announced as winner in the Hoima District Woman MP by-election.

 
There is a likelihood that allegations and realities of occurrences, such as circulation of pre-ticked ballot papers in favour of the NRM candidate (on polling day), arrests of agents from the Opposition parties (for whichever reason) and the partisan involvement of some security agents to the point of attempting to subvert the will of the people in some areas within Hoima, affected the election and how it later turned out to be. 

It is possible that these issues could in future be brought up to query the credibility of the Hoima District Woman MP by-election.
 
The level of vigilance was high in this election.  In fact, candidates' agents, supporters and ordinary citizens played a key role in exposing some of the issues that afflicted the election.
 
Not withstanding the incidents, polling day was generally calm in Hoima Municipality although with a few spots of tension.  People generally came out to exercise their right to vote.

We will share with you a detailed report from the Hoima District Woman MP by-election.


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