Security situation during voting: 35 NGO staff held

A total of 35 people who work with three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were arrested on election day at Hotel Africana in Kampala , where they had allegedly set up a parallel tally centre.

At the time, a joint security task team, comprising cyber experts from the Police, raided the hotel where the NGO staff had booked a room for their parallel tally operations. The staff were reportedly found with tally sheets, computers and communication gadgets.

The suspects were picked up in a Police bus amid tight security and whisked away to a yet to be known security facility for further questioning, New Vision has learnt.
The Police bus was stationed at the exit gate for the hotel, where each of the suspects was asked to walk in.

“All their belongings have since been seized and are being analysed by experts,” a source revealed.

The staff are from Centre for Constitutional Governance, Women Democracy Network and Alliance for Campaign Financing.

The NGO staff were reportedly found recording incidents regarding presidential and parliamentary results from polling stations countrywide.

The suspects claimed that they had been cleared to do so by the Electoral Commission (EC).

However, the Police said when they interacted with the EC on the matter, the commission said the NGO staff were only cleared to follow up on campaigns, which ended on Tuesday.

Responding to the arrest of the NGO workers, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they got intelligence about the suspicious activities and they raided the hotel.

“They had created a parallel tally centre knowing full well that the mandate to tally election results lies with the EC. We don’t know what motive they have in putting up a parallel tally centre. They could have had intentions of inciting the public to cause chaos,” Enanga, who was speaking to the media from the tally centre in Kyambogo, said.

Enanga, who described the presidential and parliamentary elections as generally peaceful, confirmed that a task team together with cyber experts were handling the
matter.

Central region
Police is investigating a number of cases of electoral malpractice in a number of the central region districts, some of them involving ministers and a senior army general.

In Rakai district, the Police is investigating reports that a group of armed men allegedly led by Maj. Gen. Elly Kayanja, stormed three polling stations and chased away voters before reportedly ticking and stuffing ballot papers into ballot papers.

All this went on at Bwoyo, Kibuuka and Kyanika polling stations as the EC staff reportedly looked on helplessly. The armymen reportedly then declared that voting had ended at these polling stations.

However, after the armymen left the polling stations, the incensed voters grabbed all the stuffed ballot boxes and set them ablaze.

In Kayunga, Police on Wednesday night intercepted over 400 agents of the district woman legislator, Aidah Erios Nantaba, at Ntooke village on the Kayunga-Mukono road.

The former lands minister was allegedly ferrying her agents in at least 10 minibuses from Kampala.

Kayunga division Police commander Joshua Kananura said Nantaba’s agents were arrested because they were moving during the curfew and that most of them were not residents of Kayunga.

“Others were coming from Katwe, Ndeeba and Bwaise. There is no way we were going to allow them to travel to our district without being screened,” Kananura said.

However, Nantaba was allowed to drive away. The arrest prompted the Ssabanyala (traditional leader for Banyala), Maj. Baker Kimeze, to come to the checkpoint to plead with the Police, but they insisted that the curfew had begun and they would not allow them to proceed to the district.

Security sources at the checkpoint noted that Nantaba returned at 2:00am and spent a night with the crew. She later threatened to withdraw from the race if her people were not released. After being screened, the group was allowed to proceed.

Nantaba reportedly later held a meeting with the Kayunga district returning officer, Rashid Musinguzi and demanded that the women elections be postponed or she
withdraws from the race. However, in an interview with New Vision, Musinguzi said he demanded that Nantaba puts her decision to quit the race in writing, but she did not.

“As far as I know, she was duly nominated and still in the race,” he noted.

Musinguzi noted that when the group was intercepted, Nantaba first claimed they were going for prayers, but later said they were her agents. Nantaba, an independent candidate, is contesting against Harriet Nakwedde of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Agatha Nalubwama of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Jacklyn Kobusingye Birungi (independent), Brenda Nakaddu of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Margaret Nabirye (independent) and Lydia Wabuza of the Democratic Party (DP).

In Mukono, Police arrested Shafik Nsubuga, an EC official, who was working at Umea Nama polling station over alleged involvement in electoral malpractice.

Nsubuga is said to have been guiding voters on how to sign, which is not his role.

In Mityana, 55 youth aged between 18-30 years, were arrested after the Police got intelligence that they had been ferried from Kawempe in Kampala and Nansana in Wakiso district, to cause chaos.

The suspects, who were found at the home of Zanika Babirye, the NUP candidate for Bukuya, reportedly confessed that they had been hired to cause chaos.

“They were each paid sh10,000 before they left Kampala. Some of them received cash while others were paid via mobile money,” a detective privy to the matter revealed.

In Kiboga district, there was chaos at Kirinda Primary School where voting started late; at 11:00am.

Chaos started when it clocked 4:00pm and polling officials asked voters who were already lining up to go away. Police had to come in to pacify the situation. However, the voters were not allowed to vote and they later walked away.

Western Uganda
In Ntungamo district, Police said they arrested three people over the theft of a ballot box containing ballot papers from Kacherere Police Station in Rushenyi.

The incident took place at 3:00am on yesterday, an hour before the ballots would be dispatched to the respective polling stations.

In Kisoro district, the situation was generally calm, except for the arrest of some NUP agents in Bufumbira South.

In Rukungiri, Maj. Gen. (rtd) Jim Muhwezi, who is vying for the Rujumbura County seat, said they got information that some opposition members were distributing money to voters in Rukungiri and they reported to the Police, which arrested five suspects.

Two persons were arrested in Masindi district after they protested voting by trainees from Kabalye Police Training School. The arrested include the Masindi district FDC MP flag-bearer, Joab Businge and a one Rogers Byamukama. They were later released.

A resident from Kihuuba Cell said they went to vote, but were disappointed to find their names already ticked.

Northern Uganda
In Lamwo district, the Police are investigating an incident in which the Resident District Commissioner, Robinson Kidega, was allegedly involved in electoral malpractice.

Kidega is said to have gone to one of the polling stations in Lamwo where he reportedly chased away voters of the NRM flag-bearer for the district woman MP seat, Molly
Lanyero.

According to eyewitnesses, Kidega used his military escorts to cause chaos in which he only left supporters of the independent candidate, Nancy Achora, to vote.
Police said they were also investigating reports that Kidega was working with one of the ministers in northern Uganda.

In Lira, supporters of Sam Engola and Jonathan Odur traded blows at a polling station. But Police calmed down the situation.

Eastern Uganda
In Mbale, a group of 50 youth clad in yellow T-shirts, stormed Kaboyi polling station in Bubulo East constituency and grabbed electoral material; six booklets of presidential ballot papers and three of parliamentary ballots.

According to Police, they beat up the voters and polling officials who they found at the polling station, leaving several of them injured.

Richard Mataya (NRM) and John Musira (independent) are contesting for the Bubulo East constituency seat.

At Kakindu polling station in Jinja, Police arrested a crime preventer who was found with pre-ticked ballot papers.

Jinja South East division independent candidate Ivan Nsiiko, together with Hannington Basakana, who is contesting on the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) ticket, noted that they were tipped that there was a crime preventer who had preticked ballot papers in favour of the incumbent, Moses Balyeku.

FDC candidate Timothy Batuwa also attempted to raid Balyeku’s home after they were tipped off that they had ballot papers, but they were prevented from entering the home.

Balyeku, however, denied allegations.

Two people were admitted at Jinja Hospital after supporters of Moses Walyomu, an independent candidate for Kagoma County, clashed with those of Fred Munyirwa (NRM) at Nakakulwe polling station.

In Bugiri, security agencies arrested three people, campaign managers of Bugiri Municipality legislator Asuman Basalirwa, who were reportedly found dishing out money.

In Namayingo, the aspirant for Bukooli South constituency MP, Abdu Adidwa alias Bulldozer, was arrested on Wednesday night after he was found with salt and huge sums ofmoney in his car, a Toyota Harrier, allegedly trying to compromise voters at Buswale trading centre.

(Compiled by Chris Kiwawulo,Simon Masaba, Charles Etukuri,Betty Amamukiror, Moses Bikala, George Bita, Donald Kirya, Tom Gwebeyanga,Charles Kakamwa Jackie Nambooga, Geoffrey Namukoye,Job Namanya, Kate Atuzarirwe,Chris Mugasha and Caleb Bahikaho0