In a statement posted on facebook, President Museveni first congratulated NRM mobilisers for the work they did; “I congratulate the NRM mobilisers in Rukungiri District for the good work they did in the elections of Woman MP yesterday,” President wrote in a statement.

President Museveni went ahead and attribute the by-election loss to Police’s weakness.

“Due to the weakness on the side of the police and the NRM leaders, I also hear that there was intimidation of voters by hooligans from Kampala and other areas. I salute those who defied those odds and voted for the NRM.”

He however promised continuous support to the people of Rukungiri; “My programmes of wealth creation for the masses, especially the youth, will continue. Some of those groups helped in winning some parts of the municipality.”

Read President’s full statement below;

Read Also: FDC’s Betty Muzanira Wins Hotly Contested Rukungiri By Election

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Adoa beat Forum for Democratic Change’s Alice Alaso in the Febraury 18 elections to clinch the seat.

According the results by the Electoral Commission, Adoa polled 48,762 votes against Alaso’s 32,651 votes on the polling day.

Serere district returning officer, Atim Awori declared Adoa as the winner of Serere district woman member of parliament. Adoa beat Alaso with a big range of 16,111 votes.

However, Alaso logged a petition saying the elections were not free and fair and was marred by intimidation from state operatives who she said tortured her supporters.

While speaking to the media, Alice Alaso, the FDC vice president for Eastern Uganda, explained that the loss of the FDC at parliamentary level was not due to FDC’s waning support but the resistance it faced from the state machinery.

“Our supporters were tortured, beaten and killed by the state institutions including the military and police. This was done where the use of money could not work,” said Alaso, who lost the Serere Woman MP seat to NRM’s Hellen Adoa.

Alaso narrated that what the opposition was up against in Teso sub-region, for instance, was not just the ruling party but a combined force of the state machinery.

“When the campaigns started, there was a whole battalion of the army that was deployed here. But, a week to the end of the campaigns, another contingent was sent in. This army did not only intimidate our supporters, but they physically tortured opposition supporters,” she said.

Alaso added that her supporter Dennis Eyoru was killed on the eve to the election, and also spoke of pre-ticked ballots.

“We have evidence of a car from the ministry of gender that carried the pre-ticked ballots. This car moved with boxes of pre-ticked ballots and we could not do much as people. We raised alarm to the electoral commission but no one came to our help,” she said.

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Musumba in telephone conversation

In a series of losses to electoral petitions coined around inadequate academic papers, the High Court sitting in Jinja has nullified the election of National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s Hajat Rehema Watongola as a member of parliament for Kamuli municipality.

Kamuli Municipality was created as part of the 12 municipalities approved by parliament and became effective July 1, 2015 last year.

Watongole had been dragged to court by her rival Ms Salaamu Musumba the former LC5 Chairman of the district who had lost in the February 18 election prompting her to file a petition sighting fraudulency in the papers Watongola had presented during her nomination.

Electoral Commission results indicated that, Ms Watongola beat Ms Musumba to the seat, polling 8,175 votes against Ms Musumba’s 6,702 votes.

In the petition dated 29 March, Ms Musumba claimed that the documents from Busoga University, which Ms Watongola used to get nominated, were obtained fraudulently.

Hajat Rehema Watongola

She argued that what Ms Watongola presented a Uganda Certificate of Education from Town Hall in Jinja, diploma and degree certificates in Public Administration and Management from the university were not sufficient for nomination for her nomination.

For her nomination, Ms Watongola presented a Uganda Certificate of Education from Town Hall in Jinja, diploma and degree certificates in Public Administration and Management from the university.

However, Ms Musumba contested the validity of the qualifications. The former district chairperson also referred to minutes of a December 17, 2010, senate meeting of Busoga University, which resolved that a certificate used by Ms Watongola to gain admission to the institution was fake and subsequently recalled the qualifications it had awarded her.

Ms Musumba included the Electoral Commission, Busoga University and the National Council for Higher Education as the other respondents in the case.

Court conquered with Ms Musumba saying she had adduced substantial evidence on Wantongole lacking the requisite academic qualifications to contest for the MP seat and thus called for a by-election for the post.

Watongole becomes  the 4th member of parliament to be thrown out due to suspicious academic papers in less than a month.

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This inspector general of police General Kale Kaihura wrote a letter to Jennifer Musisi asking her to postpone the exercise saying that the police is currently incapacitated to sufficiently provide security at the ceremony and the celebrations that will follow since the police is now concentrating on securing the visiting heads of state and the pilgrims who are trekking the country for martyrs day celebrations due on 3rd next month.

But addressing a news conference at his offices in Kamwokya, Lukwago said that the postponement of the swearing in ceremony is just intended to block him from taking oath.

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West Budama south MP Jacob Oboth challenged the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy Jacob Oulanyah to forge a way of harmonizing their relations if they are to succeed in their new assignments as given to them by parliamentarians. Oboth who stood for deputy speakership but withdrew to allow the status quo as requested by NRM CEC, says the two officials need to learn a lesson from their campaigns and start working towards unity.

Oboth who has been chairing the parliamentary committee on rules, disciplines and privileges noted that if the two do not have team work, they will be working towards their own downfall. He says now that elections are over and MPs have already been sworn-in, the public wants services as pledged by all those who were seeking for votes during campaigns and therefore parliament must ensure that government programs are given priority.

Kadaga and Oulanyah have not been in good  relations which forced Oulanyah to stand for speakership though he later bowed out after CEC resolved to maintain the status quo.

The status quo has remained for the leadership of parliament as the speaker Rebbeca Kadaga and deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah retained in their seat. Kadaga went through unopposed as Jacob Oulanyah won with 300 votes against Mohammed Nsereko who got 115 votes out of 416 MPs participated in voting and 1 invalid vote. 11 members of parliament did not turn up for voting the speaker and deputy speaker. The elections were conducted as the president was watching on in fear that there could have been a change of heart by NRM members of parliament to shun NRM candidate for the deputy speaker and vote Mohammed Nsereko.

After winning the deputy Speaker post, Jacob Oulanyah pledged to work with the speaker Kadaga and added that the contest for deputy speakership humbled him and taught him humility. Mohammed Nsereko while accepting the defeat said that there will be no independent parliament when members of parliament are poorly paid.

While speaking soon after the handover of instruments of power to the deputy speaker President Yoweri Museveni said that parliament has passed the test, especially the NRM Members of Parliament, who would have gone for another candidate and leaving out the party candidate. He denied claims that the deputy speaker Oulanyah is a puppet and said that he had to attend today’s meeting because he thought that since this parliament is full of younger legislators, like that of 1962, they would be misguided and repeat the mistakes of the past which would cause the parliament and government to collapse. He defended giving NRM members of parliament 5 million each, saying that it was not corruption but the money was given to them to cope up with the problems of the society and he vowed to fight corruption in the term of office.

The Member of Parliament for Ntenjeru north Amos Lugolobi says that the president should walk the talk against corruption. The member of parliament of parliament for Bukomansimbi south county Deogratias Kiyingi says that method used for  the election of the deputy speaker should be borrowed and used in other elections because it was free and fair.

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The electoral commission chairman Eng. Badru Kigundu reveals plans for the nation to hold residual elections in the local government councils that will be held in 109 districts. On releasing the plan today Kigundu confirms that a number of areas in local governments were voting did not take place during the general polls on account of death or violence among other issues has called for the hosting of this exercise.

The exercise kicks off on 11 May 2016 with consultative meetings with the polling for residual local government and tallying slated for 31 May 2016. Among the posts to be elected include, professional bodies at KCCA and Regional representatives of older persons.

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Mohammed Nsereko

Kampala central MP Mohammed Nsereko says he is ready to tussle it out with deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah following the decision by the NRM central executive committee to have him stand for deputy speaker in the 10th parliament. Nsereko says although Oulanyah has been a deputy speaker in the 9th parliament he is not afraid of him because he is a fellow MP like him. Nsereko adds that he has also stepped up his campaigns by talking with each and every voter.

The central executive committee of NRM yesterday asked other members of NRM who are aspiring for deputy speaker to step down for Oulanyah.

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Kadaga meeting Western and Eastern Uganda representatives

Members of parliament from Western and Eastern Uganda continue their search for votes to enable speaker Rebeca Kadaga wins the speakership for the 10th parliament despite the inside reports claiming that the NRM party Central Executive committee endorsing her as a sole candidate from the party.
Kadaga while addressing both members of parliament from Western and Eastern Uganda at parliament claimed that it’s a done deal for Kadaga to be retained as the speaker for the 10th parliament, saying that they are only waiting for the announcement from CEC. However, Kadaga and her campaign team will continue looking for votes until 19th May on the basis that there could be independent and other political party candidates who would stand in their way if they relax their campaigns.

Kadaga also dismissed reports that she has been misusing parliament funds meant for her office and parliamentary committee work. She said that she has never exhausted her office funds and encroached on funds allocated for committee work as alleged. She noted that if this had happened members of parliament who critically follow the public funds could have brought a motion in parliament impeaching her from speakership. She is also advocating for dropping the Attorney General from representing parliament in courts where parliament has been losing cases.

Meanwhile the youth members of parliament Gerald Karuhanga from Western region and Patrick Ogwang from Easter Uganda pleaded to all members of parliament to allow Kadaga to take the 10th parliament speakership unopposed. Kadaga’s supporters are claiming that NRM party central Executive committee declared her sole candidate of the party leaving out her main challenger  Jacob Oulanyah for this seat.

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A group of 16 MPs from Karamoja led by Mathenico Member of Parliament John Baptist Lokii said that they want Kadaga voted again as speaker of the next parliament since she has visited their sub region twice compared to former speakers. Karamoja MPs said that Kadaga has been instrumental in advocating for allocation of funds to the region to cater for the famine situation in relation to food relief.

They also said that she championed the campaign in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM), the practice which has reduced in this subregion. The MPs said that Kadaga should be voted as the next speaker since she is one of the role models for the girl child in the country.

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Mohammed Nsereko says that he will look for votes from unique majority members of parliament all over the political parties and independents to make a number of 300 members of parliament to vote him out of the 458 members of parliament in the 10th parliament. He is intending to release a taskforce of 65 members of parliament to roll out his campaign to every member of parliament seeking his vote, though currently he is claiming having 91 one members of parliament willing to give him their vote for the post of the deputy speaker.

Another independent member of parliament from West Budama south Oboth Oboth says that he is aspiring for this seat since the current deputy speaker is contesting for the post of the speaker. He says that he is a better choice for the deputy speaker slot since he knows rules of parliament, has a legal mind and has chaired the rules and privileges committee of parliament. He notes that he has written to all political parties with members of parliament asking them to give him support.

The two independents MPs will wait for another person from NRM primaries who include David Bahati, Jovah Kamateka, Denis Bua and Monica Amoding to tussle out with for this hotly contested seat.

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