50 students of Kinoni Regional College in Lwengo district have been stopped from voting in the ongoing NRM primary elections for Bukoto South Member of Parliament. They were away by NRM electoral commission officials led by Professor Elijah Mushemeza when they turned up in the company of Joseph Ssebayiki, one of the 5 contestants to cast their vote.
Joseph Ssebayiki is the proprietor of Kinoni regional college. Professor Mushemeza explains that the students were turned away because none of them is a registered voter of Bukoto South. He also alleges that the students were below 18-years-od age. Mushemeza says that they decided to stop the students after consulting with the Lwengo District NRM executive.
Umar Ssebulime, the Greater Masaka NRM administrative secretary says that they decided to turn away the students because only registered voters of Bukoto South are allowed to vote in the primary elections. Apart from the incident involving the students, Ssebulime describes the election as peaceful. Ssebulime explains that by midday only a handful of people had cast their vote. In a related development Dr. Herbert Lwanga, has pulled out of the NRM primary elections.
Dr Lwanga said that he had pulled out of the race in favor Alintuma Nsambu, the former ICT minister. He handed in his letter stepping down from the race to Profesor Elijah Mushemeza, the NRM electoral Commission chairman. The withdrawal of Dr Lwanga from the race leaves John Alintuma Nsambu, David Bbale Mukasa Achilles Lubega, Joseph Ssebayiki, and Robert Lutaalo in the race.
