NUP's Nalukoola wins Kawempe North byelection

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KAWEMPE NORTH DECIDES

(Scroll down the page for updates)

Presented by Hannington Mutabazi 

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Nalukoola wins

At exactly 12:30 am, Kawempe EC Returning Officer Henry Makabayi officially declared Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola the winner of the Kawempe North byelection after garnering 17,764.

Nalukoola, representing the National Unity Platform (NUP), emerged victorious, defeating his closest rival, Faridah Nambi of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), who secured 8,593 votes.

Hanifah Karadi Murewa, an independent candidate, garnered 381 votes. Muhammed Lusswa Luwemba received 240 votes. Sadat Mukiibi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) got 239 votes. Muhamood Mutazindwa obtained 186 votes. Henry Kasacca Mubiru of the Democratic Party (DP) scored 100 votes. Ismail Musiitwa of the People's Progressive Party (PPP) received 39 votes. Moses Nsereko got 32 votes and Stanley Edward Maitum Engena secured 22 votes.

Makabayi reported that a total of 28,002 votes were counted. Out of these, 27,596 were valid votes. A total of 406 votes were declared invalid. There were also 49 spoiled ballots.

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Tension Mounts as Vote Counting Continues

Officials from the National Unity Platform (NUP) have repeatedly erupted in protests, either storming the returning officer's desk or raising their voices in disapproval from their seats as they allege that some results being tallied are not accurate.

As the counting continues, all eyes are on the fierce showdown between NUP's Nalukoola and NRM's Nambi, with the atmosphere charged with anticipation and uncertainty.

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Counting at the Tally Centre

The election forms have been delivered, and the tallying has begun. The returning officer is counting box by box while everyone in the auditorium watches closely. Most of the candidates, along with their agents and party officials, are present in the hall to witness the counting process.

Who will win the election? We don't know yet, but after the tallying is complete, we will certainly have an answer. Stay tuned for all the updates.

A Moment of Brotherhood

Despite being on opposing sides, Dr. Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of the NRM electoral commission, briefly approached the NUP delegation.

They engaged in a light conversation, sharing laughter and some banter to ease the tension in the room as the electoral commission officials counted the votes for their respective candidates.

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Every Vote Matters

The EC returning officer, Henry Makabayi, along with other EC officials and NUP representatives, opened a case containing DR forms from Kawempe Mbogo Muslim SS, which NUP officials suspected had been tampered with.

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Delivering Declaration Forms

Electoral Commission officials from various polling stations in Kawempe North began delivering the declaration forms (DR forms) to Makerere University School of Public Health by 6:00 pm. This location serves as the tally centre, where the official results of the election will be announced.

Defence ministry condemns election violence

The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) has expressed concern regarding reports of alleged assaults and harassment of journalists by armed security officers.

These incidents occurred during the coverage of voting events in Kawempe North, Kampala, where journalists were reportedly attacked, beaten, and detained.

During the commotion several journalists were picked from different locations and briefly detained by armed persons whom they identified as UPDF soldiers. Several journalists have since recorded television interviews with footage showing their injuries.

The attacks on media personnel have been condemned by several media houses in Uganda,

The first reaction from Government over the incidents was released on Thursday evening by Col. Chris Magezi the Acting Defence Public Information Officer.

Details 👉🏾 t.ly/XGCqa

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Vote counting at polling stations

After the voting officially closed at all polling stations, counting of the votes started but a few others by 5:40 pm hadn't counted their votes.

According to our reporters, there has been a lot of chaos at some of the polling stations with security personnel running battles with some of the voters who were witnessing the counting.

At some polling stations, our reporter Paul Galiwango observed that a gang of youth ambushed a polling station and kicked away ballot boxes.

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Voting Has Closed!

As the clock struck 4:00 pm, the polling stations officially closed. Only those who were already in line will get the chance to cast their votes—it's now time for the nerve-wracking phase we have all been waiting for: vote counting!

Who will emerge victorious? The suspense is in the air! Stay tuned with us for all the updates as the results come in!

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ACME condemns attacks on journalists

The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) has condemned the violent attacks on journalists covering the Kawempe North byelection, describing the assaults as a blatant attack on press freedom and democratic processes.

On Thursday, the byelection turned chaotic when several journalists were assaulted. Among those attacked were Abubaker Lubowa, Denis Kabugo, Raymond Tamale, and Hasifah Nanvuma from Nation Media Group (NMG), as well as Hassan Wasswa and Francis Isano from NBS TV. The latter two required hospitalisation due to their injuries.

Details here 👉🏾 t.ly/_bTO8 

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Tension in Kawempe North

As the electorates of Kawempe North cast their votes, tensions are high at various polling stations. After voting, many locals have chosen to stay at their respective polling places. Some are there to monitor voting process, while others want to witness the entire process until it concludes.

However, security agencies, led by the police, have been instructing residents to leave polling stations premises. Some locals have expressed concerns about unidentified individuals present at their polling locations.

NUP candidate Nalukoola and his team were spotted at the Kawempe Mbogo Primary School polling station, attempting to oversee the situation.

As the clock ticks closer to the closing time at 4:00 PM, the tension continues to mount. It is important to note that only voters who are already in line by that time will be allowed to cast their ballots.

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Eyes in the Sky

To ensure security, the Uganda Police have deployed personnel on the ground as well as a helicopter in the sky. The helicopter is hovering around the polling stations to ensure that the entire voting process remains secure, free, and fair.

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Candidates lead by voting

Candidates from other political parties and the independent ones have cast their votes at designated polling stations.

DP candidate Henry Kasacca voted at Katalemwa Nursery and Primary School in Mpererwe. Independent candidate Muhamood Mutazindwa voted at the playground of Kawempe Primary School. PPP candidate Ismail Musiitwa cast his vote at Kijegere Kachungwa Polling Station in Mpererwe.

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DP candidate Henry Kasacca

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Independent candidate Muhamood Mutazindwa

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PPP candidate Ismail Musiitwa

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Faridah Nambi casts her vote

NRM’s Faridah Nambi cast her vote at the Kawempe Mbogo Primary School polling station around 10:00 AM. She was accompanied by her supporters and several prominent members of her party.

Dressed in a yellow gomesi, adorned with a white gomesi sash and wearing a white hair veil, she confidently walked to the voting area. After being verified, she displayed her ballot to journalists and her supporters. She then proceeded to the ballot box and successfully cast her vote.

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NUP’s Nalukoola casts his vote

At around 10:00 AM, Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, cast his vote at the Church of Uganda polling station in Kawempe.

Accompanied by his supporters, who had to watch from a distance, Nalukoola first visited the Electoral Commission officials' verification table.

After that, he received his ballot, which he displayed to his supporters and the media before casting his vote.

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Queueing Up to Vote

By 8:00 am, lines at most polling stations had already begun to grow long. One by one, locals proceeded through the process of voting for their favourite candidates.

The candidates in the race include Faridah Nambi from the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola from the National Unity Platform (NUP), Sadat Mukiibi from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Henry Kasacca Mubiru from the Democratic Party (DP), and Ismail Musiitwa from the People's Progressive Party (PPP).

There are also several independent candidates: Muhammed Lusswa Luwemba, Hanifah Karadi Murewa, Muhamood Mutazindwa, Moses Nsereko, and Stanley Edward Maitum Engena, the son of former Ugandan President Apollo Milton Obote.

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By 5:00 am, polling materials had already been dispatched from the Electoral Commission (EC) warehouse in Banda, Nakawa Division, Kampala City.

According to EC spokesperson Julius Muchunguzi, all 197 polling stations in Kawempe North had received their materials by 6:30 am. However, there were reports of some polling stations delaying to receive the materials at the stipulated time.

▪️ Kawempe byelection: Materials delivered, voting starts 7:00am

Kawempe North Division, according to EC, has nine parishes out of 22 parishes making up Kawempe Division. Therefore, there are 197 polling stations.

For vote casting to start, he revealed that there must be at least 10 eligible voters at each polling station. By 7:00 am, voters had started trickling in at some polling stations to cast their votes.

▪️ Kawempe byelection: EC's Byabakama orders impounding cars without number plates

The elections are meant to replace deceased Member of Parliament Muhamad Ssegirinya, who passed on recently, and Yakub Kiggundu, the LC3 councillor of Kazo Angola. Kiggundu perished in a road crash on his way to Omoro district.

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