Besigye Demands for Independent Audit of Uganda’s Presidential Election

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

President Museveni's repression of freedom of expression and assembly has instead pushed Besigye's supporters to further defy his dictatorship. PNS Photo

Former Presidential candidate in the February 18, 2016 grossly flawed Presidential election has called for an independent audit of the exercise if peace and justice are to prevail in the country.

Besigye, who was talking to journalists soon after Police vacated his home, said that only an independent audit can legitimise Museveni’s election and even sooth tempers of those who were robbed of their victory.

“Museveni should not be worried of an independent audit if at all he is the genuine winner. We want the international community to be part of that audit and oversee it so that the victory can be considered legitimate.

“The court cannot legitimise Museveni’s election because it is not independent. Court’s pronouncement on the elections, to us, is not of any substance. Soon we are going to tell the country and the whole world what actually transpired during the elections and who was the winner.”

Besigye, who was the flag bearer of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in the elections, is considered by many Ugandans and the international community as the candidate who won the election but was rigged out by the incumbent Yoweri Museveni by conniving with the Electoral Commission (EC).

The unprecedented malpractices that characterised the whole exercise forced the international election observers: the European Union and the Commonwealth to conclude that there was nothing like an election.

Since February 18, 2016 Besigye has been under house arrest and Police torture. When he pleaded to court and the Kasangati Grade One Magistrate, Prossy Katushabe entertained his application, her judgment was grabbed as she was about to read it out. Besigye nevertheless regained his freedom and dignity on March 2.

“It has not been out of Kayihura and Museveni’s free will to leave my home; the pressure from the international community, the court and my supporters has forced them out.  They have been telling all sorts of lies that I am not a prisoner but all that has been finally rubbished.

“I want to inform them that the struggle for the liberation of the people’s power continues; I am beginning from where I stopped. And I want to thank all my supporters who have kept alive the struggle. Many have been trying to come to my home and bring me gifts.

“Others have come up with a new tactic of tying themselves around poles with chains. When we went to the bush and captured state power, even the people’s power was captured and it is yet to be returned to them. We shall not tire until the people’s power is liberated.”

After the EC’s Badru Kiggundu unilaterally declared Museveni winner of the Presidential election, government took to highhandedness interpreted to mean that there was a lot it was trying to cover up. This included massive deployment of soldiers and policemen in and around Kampala, arresting of members of the Opposition as well as beating and confiscating equipment for journalists.

In Kasese, Police took to summary executions to intimidate the public into avoiding criticizing government positions. Local leaders maintain that people took to protesting after their elected leaders were robbed of their victory. Police kept coming up with contradictory positions at times saying that these were tribal conflicts and on other occasions that there were some youth trained to cause mayhem.

The traditional head of the Bakonjo accused the Inspector General of Police Kalekyezi Kayihura of coming up with irresponsible statements, failure to visit the afflicted areas and avoiding the local leaders.

 

Use of tear gas has become a daily occurrence as Museveni's government steps up attempts to crush political Opposition and the people fight back for their right to choose leaders. PNS Photo

Uganda’s history is characterised by civil strife as a result of dictatorship. After the 1980 elections, Yoweri Museveni took up arms and waged a five-year bloody guerrilla war that catapulted him to state house.

Today, after thirty years in the presidency, Museveni is repeating the same mistakes which brought about destruction and blood shed in the country. He has turned himself into the law and is only shying away from declaring himself life president like the late Idi Amin did. But all actions and deeds point to that.

Museveni has proved himself worse than the previous leaders; he is the worst to happen to Uganda. He has no respect for human dignity, no respect for rule of law and has never, and will never organise a free and fair election.

Greed for power explains why, since Independence in 1962, Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful regime change. This repression naturally calls for taking up arms and going for the perpetrators. Ugandans have never tired from fighting to decisively liberate their country from demagogues.

Besigye’s popularity and support are hinged on his call for the liberation of the people’s power. Ugandans feel greatly oppressed to the extent of being reduced to refugees in their own land! By blocking all the peaceful means they have so far applied to bring about the desired regime change, Museveni should not deceive himself that he is going to hold them at ransom for good. The daggers are drawn.