NRM MP poll violence: victims narrate ordeal

ELECTION WATCH | NRM 

Violence, sometimes life-threatening, broke out between rival groups of NRM supporters in about 10 districts, including Ssembabule, Katakwi, Namutumba, Ntungamo and Jinja.

The NRM secretariat, in consultation with President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the party's national chairman, evacuated six people who were seriously injured in the fracases that the elections occasioned.

The six NRM members were operated upon at Nakasero Hospital's intensive care unit.

These included Henry Busanda from Namutumba, who sustained deep head injuries; Charles Otiang and Lucy Apenyo from Katakwi, who were shot in the lower stomach and upper left arm, respectively, and Dan Kiriyo Rweiburungi from Rushenyi in Ntungamo, who sustained head injuries.

Others were Juma Kahitani and Fred Munirwa from Rushenyi and Jinja Municipality, respectively, who suffered head injuries.

"I thank the national chairperson for his magnanimity and humanity in ensuring the above victims of electoral violence were treated professionally," Justine Kasule Lumumba, the NRM secretary general, said.

Lumumba said as secretary general, she is on record for having condemned the acts of violence meted out to innocent civilians during the recent party elections.

"I call on security organs and the administration of justice system to ensure that all the culprits are not only made to answer for these crimes but that are also blocked from future electoral processes because their actions border on impunity and go against the strategic principles of the NRM," she said.

Lumumba hastened to add that all these vices were precipitated by some candidates, working with their agents and supporters. "Investigations will guide us on administrative measures to take on candidates who directly participated violence," she said.

Survivors' tales

Haruna Nawamanya, a resident of Ssembabule town council in Mawogola North constituency, is one of the people who suffered horrific injuries on the eve of the NRM primary elections.

He told Saturday Vision that he narrowly survived on September 3, when unknown machete-wielding people attacked him and set his house on fire.

He escaped through a window when the fire broke out and was helped by good Samaritans, who rushed him to Ssembabule Medical Clinic for treatment.

Nawamanya sustained injuries on his face and legs. Fortunately, he had earlier advised his wife and children to flee the home.

Nawamanya linked the arson attack to political rivalry between aspiring candidates Sodo and Shartis Musherure.

He said five people had earlier warned him to stop making hate comments against Musherure, the daughter of foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa.

"I used to criticize the decision by Kutesa to be replaced by Musherure as Mawogola North MP in 2021 and I believe that was the root cause of my suffering," Nuwamanya said.

The Police in Ssembabule, said they are still investigating the matter. However, Musherure's camp denied being behind the arson attack.

Enock Rusheija, another victim from Kitahira in Lugusulu sub-county, Mawogola North, told Saturday Vision that armed men in civilian clothes ambushed and beat him up with clubs. He said he reported the matter to Ssembabule Central Police Station, but the suspects were not arrested.

"I know a senior army officer at the rank of Major who participated in beating me," Rusheija, who suffered a head injury, said. Jane, the wife of John Kato, a supporter of Musherure based in Mutima village, Mijwala, was recently discharged from Kalevu Memorial Clinic in Masaka district.

She alleged in an interview with Saturday Vision that she was beaten up by Sodo's supporters.

"I almost suffered a miscarriage because I waskicked in the abdomen," she said.

Steven Batanga and Enock Rusheija of Kitahira village, Grace Saturday of Nabussajja village, Constantine Serume of Kiwuula, Frank Kansiime and Gilbert Bati of Lugusu village are also among Musherure's supporters who claim to have been beaten.

50 cases reported

The party's director of communications, Emmanuel Dombo, told Saturday Vision that about 50 cases of electoral violence had been reported countrywide two weeks ago.

"But if you want a specific number of cases, you can find out from the Police spokesperson," he said.

Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson, said he could not give the total number of cases reported, saying they needed to first harmonize the ones that they had with the ones at the NRM secretariat.

However, three days after the NRM MP polls, Enanga said the Police were investigating a total of 27 violence incidents across the country.

He said they registered four fatalities and 16 other people were severely injured in the violence during the elections.

And by then, 25 people had been arrested from Ntungamo, Katakwi and Kassanda districts.

What went wrong

Dr Tanga Odoi, the NRM electoral commission chairperson, blamed the violence that characterised the party's primary elections on lack of an updated voters' register.

"The register is the cornerstone of an electoral process. You cannot start an electoral process without knowing the actual number of people you are planning for." Odi also lamented that the editing and auditing of the register is what failed them.

"The register should have been made early, displayed, corrections made and updated like the national Electoral Commission (EC) does."

He added that 373 petitions had been filed with the party EC by losers in the primary polls to select flag-bearers for 2021 parliamentary elections.

"But most of these petitions are seeking vote recount, which means just counting the votes and people will calm down. The ones which call for cancellation of elections are few," Tanga said.

What actors say

Housing state minister Chris Baryomunsi, who is also Kinkizi East MP and western region NRM vice-chairperson, told Saturday Vision that the violence that happened during the party primaries was regrettable.

"In some cases, it depends on the character and behaviour of the contestants. They incite people in the heat of the moment. The main problem was at the village level and the Police cannot be everywhere," he said.

Baryomunsi allayed fears that the violence could spill over into next year's general elections.

Analysts weigh

Dr Frederick GoloobaMutebi, a political scientist, said the intra-NRM violence which they have seen recently is the product of a number of factors.

"One factor is the poor or weak leadership, which has led to absence of discipline among party supporters. There are also weaknesses in the party organs, such as their disciplinary mechanisms, which renders them unable to perform their functions," he said.

He said the second factor is the money-making, wealth accumulation and social status that the holding of political office has come to be associated with in Uganda.

"In a country with a high rate of unemployment and where earnings associated with employment in the public, as well as the private sectors are low, the nearobscene earnings of MPs render the desire to become an MP so consuming that people are prepared to maim and even kill others if that is what it will take to win a slot," Golooba argued.

Fear to enforce the law

Golooba contended that if the Police were to arrest those that indulge in acts of violence and have them prosecuted and possibly jailed, it would send a strong signal to potential troublemakers that they will not get away with indulging in or fomenting violence.

"What seems to happen, however, is for police officers to fear enforcing the law against members and supporters of the ruling party, except where the President decides to intervene, as in the case of junior labour minister Mwesigwa Rukutana. If law enforcement was taken seriously and carried out impartially and everybody breaking the law is held accountable, electoral violence would diminish significantly and eventually be eliminated," he said.

Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala, the associate professor of law at Makerere University, said the violence that rocked the NRM polls was both unfortunate and regrettable.

"It was sad that members of the same party could fight each other in an effort to win the party flag. It also bordered on individual aspirations or ambitions as opposed to party ideology and spirit. In order to avoid such violence in the NRM primaries, a number of measures need to be undertaken," he said.

First and foremost, Mayambala said, is to clean up the party register and avoid any suspicions relating to it.

"Members of the party must adhere to the Constitution of the party and those found to be flouting the party rules and guidelines pertaining to elections should be subjected to the disciplinary mechanisms. Another solution is to have a comprehensive internal party grievance mechanism in respect of disputes relating to elections. This will go a long way in restoring confidence and hope to those who may feel cheated during such polls that the matter can be resolved amicably at a higher level," he said.

He also says candidates who intend to participate in NRM polls need to be well oriented into the party ideology and methods of work which will in turn enable the members to understand and appreciate the party spirit.

Crispin Kaheru, an electoral expert, says the scenes of violence witnessed in the NRM primaries partly allude to the increasing intra-party competition.

"In fact, in the NRM, it is cutthroat competition for the flag.  It is a do-or-die affair - unfortunately. The increasing culture of militarism in politics also makes it worse.  Political competition today is incomplete without a display of firepower.  This is a mentality that is slowly but steadily creeping into our politics," Kaheru said.

Deep structural causes

But, Kaheru noted, there are also deep structural causes to this rise in violence in the NRM primaries and it is these entrenched problems that must be addressed to avoid the situation escalating into further conflict in the general elections.

"Most specifically, there is a fundamental lack of trust and confidence in mechanisms mandated to manage elections - whether at party level or at national level.  The absence of trust in election administrators always drives interested stakeholders to manage electoral exercises in their own way.  The absence of trust in security agencies drives stakeholders to occasionally seek to secure themselves while disregarding the law," he said. 

Kaheru argued that while they have to deal with deep structural causes of violence, they must nurture a sense of trust among Ugandans. 

"We must review policing practices within the country. The government must strengthen its judicial processes in order to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.  It is only by rebuilding trust between the public and these state institutions that violence will be managed," he said.

Moses Khisa, an assistant professor of political science at North Carolina State University, said the violence in this year's NRM primaries was neither new nor surprising.

"It was to be expected because the NRM has no clearly laid down and rigorously upheld rules of the game, thus the recourse to violence. It lacks an institutional framework for managing processes and outcomes, including conflicts and contradictions," Khisa said.

He said the other source of the NRM's violence is the role of the state in determining electoral outcomes.

"The stakes are very high in NRM primaries because contestants are calculating that once they're crowned NRM candidates for the general election they will have an advantage by relying on the state's coercive apparatus and financial resources," he said.

This story was done with support from The Democratic Governance Facility.