NUP involved in rigging Kayunga by-election, says NRM’s Todwong

 The NRM Secretary General, Richard Todwong has accused opposition political parties , especially the National Unity Platform  of being involved in rigging the ongoing Kayunga LC5 by-election.

“From the time polling stations were opened, we have been getting information that our friends from other political parties were planning to stuff ballots in some polling stations. We reported this to security forces and the situation has been calmed down,” Todwong told journalists on Thursday.

“The opposition brought people to vote and even last night security arrested people who came to ballot stuff for the NUP candidate. They are in police cells. They got young people from Nakawa, Kawempe and Kalerwe who were brought at night to this district.”

Todwong’s comments come on the backdrop of similar accusations towards the ruling NRM party by officials from the National Unity Platform.

The NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine accused security of conniving with the ruling NRM party to arrest a number of their agents since last night.

“Some of our leaders deployed to guard the vote in Kayunga at the police station. Last night the military arrested and detained many of others. Military regimes like Museveni's do unthinkable actions in their evenings. This is not a sign of strength,”Kyagulanyi tweeted.

He also said that vehicles without number plates were seen transporting pre-ticked ballot papers.

Similar sentiments were shared by the NUP Secretary General, Lewis Rubongoya.

“Many NUP leaders supervising the voting in Kayunga have been arrested and are being taken to Kitimbwa police. The rigging today is simply unprecedented,”Rubongoya said.

However, when asked to comment about the allegations, the NRM Secretary General said they alerted security of an ongoing scheme to ballot stuff and consequently led to the arrest of NUP members from Kampala who had been ferried to Kayunga.

“Young people were moving around villages at night scaring people including women and youths. When we reported this to security, I am sure they moved around and identified the trouble causers.”

When asked for more details, Todwong referred journalists to police.

Confident of winning

The NRM Secretary General however said despite any plans by the opposition to “rig the election” he is confident the ruling party will win the Kayunga by-election.

“We expect to win this election. I am very confident we are going to win this election.”

He explained that unlike many other by-elections, the ruling party changed tactics and this he said gives him confidence about winning the polls.

The NRM Director for Mobilisation, Rosemary Sseninde, the party spent four months in Kayunga in a bid to reconcile the many warrying factions in the party.

“When we entered Kayunga we realized there were man difference among our leaders. The district was totally upside down. This was costing us support but we resolved it.  This way, we are sure we brought back our support,”Sseninde said.

When asked to  comment on the allegations of vote rigging labelled against them by the NRM, the NUP Secretary General, Lewis Rubongoya said he was set to address a press conference about the matter.