Kamuntu, Mushemeza trade insults

Weeks after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary primaries ended, the justice minister, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu and his rival, Prof. Elijah Dickens Mushemeza, are not about to let the dust settle.

Kamuntu was declared the winner of the NRM primaries for Sheema South constituency by Dr Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of the party electoral commission, following days of jostling over the results.

Addressing a press conference at the National Theatre in Kampala last week, Kamuntu accused Mushemeza of trying to rig the primary elections. Kamuntu said Mushemeza had a history of being fraudulent whenever it comes to elections, pointing out that the latter doctored results in the 2011 elections and was taken to court which ruled against him.

He said the leaders of the ruling party must be disciplined and have clarity on ideology and avoid malpractices if the party is to survive the tide of elective politics.

He urged the party to follow the constitutional provisions to resolve conflicts and avoid impunity. "We should avoid impunity. No member of the party should be above the rules of the party's constitution. Members should accept the outcome.

Taking the law into your own hands would be chaos," Kamuntu warned. Kamuntu also regretted the killing of seven people in the party primaries, saying the contestants of the results should have sought redress from the NRM electoral commission. He blamed the malpractices that took place during the ruling party's primaries on the lack of a clean voters register.

"Fundamentally, going to elections without a clean voters register causes people to take advantage of the shortcomings by committing electoral fraud. My opponent has a history of electoral fraud," Prof. Kamuntu told journalists.

He appealed to his opponents to accept defeat and called for reconciliation ahead of the 2021 general election. He stressed that the strength of the party depends on discipline among its leaders, lest the party fails to live beyond the founding members.

Regarding the 2021 general elections, the justice minister assured the nation that they will be peaceful. "There is no willingness to frustrate the 2021 general election. We are working tooth and nail to ensure that the elections are credible, free and fair," Kamuntu said.

MUSHEMEZA HITS BACK

Prof. Mushemeza hit back at Kamuntu, accusing him of doctoring the results. Mushemeza said the declaration of results (DR) forms indicate he won on September 4, however, the results were announced two days later on September 6.

"That means he declared himself a winner before voting. The declaration forms were signed and stamped on September 4; it should have been on September 6," Mushemeza told New Vision.

He accused Kamuntu of trying to manage the damage by rushing to address a press conference. "He is trying to cover up," Mushemeza stated. Mushemeza blasted Kamuntu for allegedly saying that he was COVID-19- positive and stole a phone worth sh40,000.

"Can you imagine a whole professor like me stealing a phone that costs sh40,000?" he asked. Mushemeza said he has petitioned the party electoral commission and if he does not get redress he will contest as an independent.