Uganda on Edge as Campaigns Close, Elections on February 18

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

Electoral Commission chairman, Badru Kiggundu ranks high in frustrating attempts by Ugandans to cultivate a culture of peaceful regime change by conniving with president Museveni to rig elections.

Campaigns for the presidential and parliamentary elections have come to a close, two days to Election Day, but on a charged note. The leading contender for the presidency, Dr. Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) says that government is planning to engage in massive election rigging but that that will not be acceptable.

Besigye goes on to say that he will not resort to Courts of Law because they all are compromised by the incumbent Yoweri Museveni. The Judiciary, which is supposed to be the mediator in such a situation, is suspected to instead aggravate the situation. The Institution is no longer trusted by those who would go there for arbitration.

Sources in Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) camp told PNS that there is panic after being overwhelmed by the demands for change, even deep in the villages where they have always enjoyed massive following. Sources further said that what happened in Kenya could easily surface in Uganda because there seems to be no willingness to hand over power peacefully.

PNS further learnt that there is likely going to be fast tallying of results, followed by fast announcement of “the winner” and immediate swearing in.

NRM sources added that there is discontent in the army and that should there any struggle for leadership, it is suspected that the army will side with the Opposition.

“This will most likely be the source of violence.”

In other quarters, information making rounds is that there will be a re-run for the presidential vote.  For the NRM camp, the blame is squarely on president Museveni who frustrated John Patrick Amama Mbabazi the former Prime Minister and Secretary General of the ruling party. Mbabazi is also running for the presidency under the Go Forward umbrella. There is fear that he has dealt a final blow to the NRM party, and when the power Besigye is using to lure supporters is put into perspective the NRM is on the losing side.

The NRM camp is beginning to admit that the thirty-year reign has turned out to be counter productive. Even those who were peddling around the slogan that “only Museveni has a vision for Uganda” are today unanimous in condemning him for over staying and failing to address issues of great importance to the people.

NRM supporters believe that the continued displacement of people has turned out to be a boomerang. They say that they warned the president but he kept promising to do something about it, but ended up doing nothing. The team is blaming the Captain for all the mistakes.

The NRM has always been known to splash money during campaigns but the campaigners are complaining that this time round it has not been forthcoming. Sources told PNS that for the one hundred days they have been on the campaign trail they have received money only twice.

Sources say that the first time each village was given 250, 000 shillings for mobilizing voters. The second time they received 170,000 shillings when the president was campaigning in the County. It was meant for transporting people to the rallies.

The most unfortunate bit about the February 18, 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections is the high level of rigging and violence anticipated. Some people have decided to go out of the country. Others are retreating to the villages to stay away from any eventualities.

After thirty years in power many people consider Museveni a stumbling block to justice, human rights, good governance, sustainable peace and development. People fear that Museveni is going to rig the elections and will not hand over power peacefully. Too much for a man who keeps reminding everyone that he is a freedom fighter.

Dr. Kizza Besigye has not only attracted mammoth crowds but he has also set standards very high. Wherever he went, people collected money to assist his campaigns! He has received gifts ranging from produce, poultry to animals.

During the 2011 campaigns, attempts to organise a debate for presidential candidates were not properly honoured by the aspirants. Most of them simply sent representative. This time round, the Inter Religious Council of Uganda, the Elders Forum and the National Consultative Forum took it to another level.

Two debates were organised and candidates had to come in person. The first debate, on January 15, 2016 had seven candidates around with the exception of president Museveni who said that debates were for primary kids, and had better things to do.

The public was elated by the performance of the seven candidates and gauged their capabilities for the presidency depending on the programs they presented. The president was ridiculed and accused of failing to account to the people he has ruled for thirty years. He swallowed his pride and attended the second debate on February 13. This was the first of such organisation in Uganda, offering value for the electorate.

Through the campaign period, Amama Mbabazi has been targeted by Museveni’s supporters; they often interfered with his campaign programme and staged parallel ones to his. Although it is illegal according to Parliamentary and Presidential Electoral Act, Police never intervened to maintain law and order. It was not until the Mbabazi supporters, in Ntungamo, fought back to protect their right to assemble. Even the Electoral Commission (EC) did not, even once, come out to warn the NRM supporters.

On February 15, 2016 Police arrested Kizza Besigye and dispersed his supporters as they marched into the city center for campaigns. The whole day Besigye did not campaign in Kampala central.

Instead of encouraging people to support and participate in the holding of free and fair elections, the EC is coming up with orders interpreted to mean that the Commission is planning to engage in malpractice during the election period. For instance, the EC is making announcements barring voters from going with their mobile phones and cameras. The EC is also telling voters to observe from a distance of 100 metres! The Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Act talks of 25 metres.

Through out the campaigns, people have been saying that now is the time for change; it the time to have a peaceful change of government. This has never happened in Uganda since her independence in 1962. Many are eager to be part of this historic election and are praying that Museveni and the EC do not stand in the way.