Museveni's ruling NRM rejects defeat by Bobi Wine’s party in Kawempe North by-election
The election held on Thursday saw opposition National Unity Platform candidate Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola emerge victorious.
Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Yoweri Museveni, has rejected the results of the Kawempe North by-election, alleging widespread electoral malpractice, voter intimidation and violence.
The election held on Thursday saw opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola emerge victorious with 17,764 votes, defeating NRM’s Faridah Nambi, who secured 8,593 votes, along with eight other candidates.
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The election, however, was marred by violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, with state agents targeting journalists covering the event.
The Electoral Commission was forced to annul results from 15 polling stations due to violent disruptions, further casting a shadow over the credibility of the process.
On Saturday, NRM Secretary-General Richard Todwong announced that the party would not accept the results, arguing that the election was neither free nor fair.
“The 4th CEC of the NRM discussed the results in Entebbe on Friday. Mindful of the danger that the country might face if these kinds of undemocratic behaviours are not checked… Noting that acts of violence in several polling stations in Kawempe North were carried out by supporters and sympathisers of NUP, NRM totally rejects the results declared by the Electoral Commission,” Todwong stated.
Disenfranchised voters
He further contended that the cancellation of results from the 15 polling stations disenfranchised nearly 50,000 registered voters.
“The cancelled polling stations represent more than 62 per cent of the expected votes to be cast. This implies that the Independent Electoral Commission pronounced a winning candidate based on less than 40 per cent of the expected votes, significantly affecting the will of the people of Kawempe North,” the NRM said in a statement.
However, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, dismissed the NRM’s claims, arguing that despite government interference, the ruling party still lost.
“Just heard on the news that President Museveni is saying he was rigged in Kawempe North! The same shameless despot who abducted our agents and supporters, beat up our people, spent days bribing voters, deployed Mambas inside polling stations, commandeered goons to raid polling stations, changed several DR Forms to give himself 700, 400, 300 extra votes, etc.—AND WE STILL BEAT HIM,” Bobi said in a statement.
He accused the government of spending heavily to win over urban voters but failing to gain their support.
“Museveni thought he had won over some support in Kampala after sending Ddamulira into the ghettos with billions of shillings (most of which is stolen anyway), sponsoring propaganda against us, buying off several artists and other socialites and using them to fight us, investing in some failed politicians to abuse us on the media every day, constantly keeping his boot on our neck with abductions, arrests, and beatings, etc. He is very surprised that, despite spending billions on all these and other efforts, the people of Uganda have continued to reject him flat,” he said.
Despite the electoral commission defending the final tally, the NRM has instructed its legal team to challenge the election results in court.
Todwong called for a forensic audit of the election and vowed to take legal action.
“NRM CEC calls upon the government to carry out a forensic audit to bring all the culprits who messed up the election to book. The party instructs its lawyers to immediately challenge the election and file a petition in court,” he declared.
The NRM has accused the opposition of voter suppression, intimidation, and orchestrating election violence, while the NUP maintains that the election was a reflection of the people’s rejection of the ruling party.
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