By Kobusiinge Monica
Kampala: Following the violently conducted National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s primary elections, the party chairman dubbed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has vowed to deal with the security officers if corruption, violence, vote rigging and other electoral misconducts, goes on even with in their presence.
Museveni made the remarks in his address to the public via his social media platforms communicating especially to the ‘Bazzukulu’ as he quotes it (literally meaning the grandchildren), on a wide range of issues raised by concerned citizens among these including incompetent security, corruption and land evictions.
Furious Museveni says all the misconducts cited in the party elections is due to the security officers who are dormantly sleeping on their jobs and among these he says include; Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Regional Police Commanders (RPCs), District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) and Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISO).
https://www.facebook.com/PresidentYoweriKagutaMuseveni/posts/2046762425459171
“There is no part of Uganda that does not have these powerful officers, how then, can corruption, violence, vote rigging etc, go on in an area without their knowledge? Museveni asked adding “How about land evictions? I put all these officials on notice, if these bad things go on in your area and I end up getting to know from the people directly without you doing something before, I will go for you,”
President added that bribing, intimidation, altering declaration forms, attacking and injuring people, using the underage to vote, importing voters from other areas among others are shallow schemes that are easy to expose.
“The real thing is what happened in the village where 200 legitimate voters lined behind candidate “A” and other 100 lined behind candidate “B”. Similar exercises happened in the 606 villages of Luwero district, for instance. The elections are finished,” Museveni added.
Museveni further warned that it is an exercise in futility for anybody to change the declaration forms that are in the actual sense not found in the villages where elections have taken place advising that anyone involved in such schemes commits a crime and is liable to be sentenced to between three and five years’ imprisonment.
Museveni went ahead and revealed how such lawbreakers can be traced saying, “This crime is easy to prove because in the example of the village X we used, there are 300 witnesses – the 200 that voted for A and 100 that voted for B. Therefore, the aggrieved candidates, get facts from a sample of villages from your village agents, who must speak truthfully otherwise they will also be charged with aiding and abetting a fraud as well as making false declarations, the Police will cross-check and criminal proceedings will be initiated”.
Commenting about his orders that have since left Mawogola North elections on standstill even when he is not the party’s electoral chairman, Museveni said, “We should not allow crooks to pollute our massive force that you saw yesterday. I am not Tanga Odoi but my entering from the criminal side, which is my constitutional duty as President, will help Tanga Odoi. Help us with the facts.”
Museveni’s warnings come after ugly scenes including bloodshed and loss of lives that were cited in several parts of the country on Friday during the NRM primary elections that has since caused strong protests from some candidates against the results declared by the party’s district registrars.
In the same election, armed Rushenyi County MP dubbed State Minister for Labour and Industrial Development Mwesigwa Rukutana shot and injured a couple of people in Ntungamo district in addition of damaging his opponent’s car.
It is alleged that after being declared as a loser to his opponent Naome Kabasharira, Rukutana turned chaotic and in the scuffle, he grabbed a gun from one of his bodyguards and shot three people who were rushed to Ntungamo hospital in critical condition.
According to the Deputy Police Spokesperson Polly Namaye, Rukutana is under police custody with his three body guards over charges of attempted murder by shooting, inciting violence and malicious damage to properties.
“Mwesigwa Rukutana has been arrested with three of his bodyguards,” said Namaye adding, “He is being detained at Ntungamo police station with his guards who will face attempted murder charges.”
