By Frank Kamuntu
The long awaited day by citizens in Hoima district of casting their votes finally reached this morning and currently every person is rushing to choose his or her Woman parliamentary representative.
The breaking news is that eight alleged bribers have been arrested from Kabale village in the by a joint security team comprising of police and army.
Hoima RDC Samuel Kisembo confirmed the incident and said that “The suspects were caught red handed distributing salt, soap and money to voters.”
He added that “The suspects were bribing voters under the command of Barnabas Tinkasimire, the Buyaga West Member of Parliament and People Power movement co-ordinator Bunyoro region.
Julius Hakiz, the Albertine regional spokesperson confirmed the arrest, but didn’t give details since he was still in a meeting.
Tinkasimire’s phone could not be reached to confirm the allegations.
It was an amazing moment when some of the 143,273 registered voters woke up as early as 5:00m at some of the 266 polling stations to choose between Harriet Businge Mugenyi and Asinansi Nyakato as the competing candidates for the post of Hoima Woman Memeber of parliament.
Busingye is the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate while Nyakato, an FDC leaning candidate is backed by most of the opposition parties including Democratic Party, Forum for Democratic Change, Alliance for National Transformation as well as Robert Kyagulanyi led People Power movement.
Both hope to replace Tophas Kaahwa Byagira, who early this year opted to represent Kikuube District which was curved out of Hoima District, located in the mid-western part of Uganda. The district comprises of two counties, one municipality, seventeen sub-counties and 69 parishes.
Spy Uganda has learnt that the two candidates are almost closely related whereby local Mugenyi, belongs to the Bacwezi clan while Nyakato is a princess
Mugenyi is married to Prince Fred Mugenyi Ruchunya, the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom’s Chief Prince who chairs the Royal clan of Babiito, where Princess Nyakato belongs.
Although voting is going on smoothly, the Opposition has decried the heavy deployment of security.
As of Tuesday, FDC’s spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda said: “We think the intention is to intimidate especially people in rural parts of the district. The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is using the security personnel especially military and the Electoral Commission (EC) to interfere with the Princess.
