More ugly scenes are coming from Bukoto South Constituency in Lwengo district, where voters are electing a new member of parliament for the area.
Fred Ssemanda, the presiding Officer at Kikenene Polling Station in Kiseka Sub County, has been arrested after he was reportedly found illegally possessing 200 ballot papers.Ssemanda also allegedly issued multiple ballot papers to voters.
Ssemanda was arrested this afternoon by polling constable after voters at Kikenene polling station in Kiseka Sub County when voters raised an alarm.
Sula Muwonge Nsubuga, a polling agent at Kikenene, claims he saw Ssemanda issuing more than one ballot papers to voters. He says they became suspicious when he particularly handed over three ballot papers to a female voter and they asked police to arrest him.
Simon Peter Wafana, the Southern Region police commander, who is in charge of Kiwangala area where Kikenene is located, says Ssemanda is detained at Kiwangala police post. He says police is investigating Ssemanda for allegedly issuing multiple ballot papers which is contrary to electoral laws.
Ssemanda has not yet commented on the matter.
Mathias Nsubuga, the DP Candidate says the arrest of Ssemanda shows that Electoral Commission is conniving to rig the elections. He says other presiding officers could be involved in vote rigging.
But Gracious Aryaija, the Lwengo district returning officer, denied the allegations. He said he has not yet received the brief from police on what actually happened. He also says if it is true Ssemanda was arrested, he committed the crime as an individual but not on behalf of the Commission.
Earlier, the Inspector General of Police Lt Gen Kale Kayihura clashed with Kyotera County Member of Parliament Haruna Kasolo Kyeyuna, in Kiwangala over election violence which saw Luwero LC5 Chairperson Abdul Nadduli stoned and his car windows smashed.
Kayihura had rushed to Kiwangala trading center, hours after suspected DP supporters threatened to lynch Nadduli and blocked him from accessing the polling station.
Nadduli had gone to Kiwangala to reportedly protect Alintuma Nsambu’s votes from being rigged by DP supporters.
When Kayihura arrived, he ordered all voters who had stayed around Kiwangala polling station to vacate the place. Kayihura said their continued stay around the polling station was inciting violence.
Police also ordered for the arrest of MP Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo for allegedly inciting the youths to attack Nadduli.
But Kasolo protested the decision and accused Kayihura of involvement in vote-rigging. Kasolo claims that Kayihura deployed a team of police officers who go on intimidating DP supporters with the aim of rigging Nsambu, who is the NRM candidate.
Kasolo decided to relocate to Masaka after police threatened to impound his vehicle for allegedly disrupting polls.
George Mutabaazi, the Lwengo LC5 Chairperson also survived being attacked by angry voters when he allegedly stormed Bulemeere polling station in Ngereko and drew a gun at some of the voters.
But Mutabaazi has denied drawing a gun at voters. He told URN that it is true he was attacked but he never drew his gun at anyone. He says the DP supporters are just spreading propaganda.
The Bukoto seat fell vacant following a May 2012 Court of Appeal ruling that nullified the election of Muhammed Muyanja Mbabaali for lacking requisite academic papers.
