There are scenes of chaos at polling stations in Rubaga Division this morning following reports of violence and rigging allegedly orchestrated by NRM mayoral candidate, Peter Sematimba.
Sematimba is accused of organizing a gang of men to stuff ballot boxes and beat up opposition party polling agents throughout the division. The gang is reportedly traveling in two minibuses, a Toyota Pajero and a white Toyota Mark II.
Witnesses to the violence claim that the registration of the Mark II is UAM 561W. One of the minibuses is registered UAN 841B.
Charles Nsamba, a Forum for Democratic Change polling agent, claims that he was stopped by the gang in Lubya while he was delivering agents' appointment letters to the polling stations. He claims that he saw NRM operative Mondo Mugisha in the crowd of 15 people who tore the letters and beat him up.
The FDC candidate for the Rubaga North District Woman Councilor's seat, Hawa Namugenyi, says she was also beaten up by the gang in the early hours of the morning. She says she reported the matter at Kawala Police Station, but was ignored by officers there.
The officer in charge of Kawala Police Station, Rose Isone, insists that no such case was reported there. Despite the fact that more than 10 people claim to have informed the police of the matter, she says she has not heard of the gang or the violence meted out on the polling agents.
However police officers at Kawala who spoke to Uganda Radio Network on condition of anonymity say the matter was reported to them. They say they were given orders not to file any political or election reported cases. They do not reveal from whom the alleged instructions came.
Moses Kasibante, the MP-elect for Rubaga North, says he was briefly detained by heavily armed plain-clothed men. He says he was held for several minutes in Lungujja, but was released. He doesn't know why he was detained.
Similar reports are coming from Wagaba Zone in Rubaga.
A resident of the area, who only wishes to identify himself as Lukwaiya, says he arrived at his polling station shortly before 5 a.m. to witness the voting process. He claims that three minibuses arrived at the scene shortly after that and a group of men surrounded him. They tore up his register and appointment letter and beat him up.
Lukwaiya says he raised an alarm and the men ran away. He says they fled towards Peter Sematimba's residence.
By 11 a.m., Sematimba had not responded to the claims.
Barbara Nansubuga, the presiding officer in Wagaba, says she heard of the reports although she didn't personally witness the violence.
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