Mathias Nsubuga, the newly-elected MP for Bukoto South has thanked legislators from the ruling NRM party for what he called physical and financial support during the by-election.
Nsubuga, who beat three other candidates including former minister Alintuma Nsambu, however describes the race as a difficult one.
Some MPs from the Buganda Parliamentary Caucus, including NRM members openly campaigned for Nsubuga against Nsambu, the ruling party candidate in the race. The MPs accused Nsambu of disrespecting Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and allegedly playing a role in the September 2009 closure of CBS radio.
According to the official results declared on Thursday night by Gracious Aryaija, the Lwengo district returning officer, Nsubuga polled 11,854 votes against Nsambu’s 10,427 votes. Independent candidate Dan Katula Mubiru got four votes while Julius Sssentamu of the Forum for Democratic Change—FDC managed fifty nine votes.
Nsubuga, while speaking on Tuesday, four days after winning the hotly-contested race, thanked the NRM MPs for the support but cited challenges such as the partiality of the police, the arrest of the returning officer with stuffed ballots, and President Yoweri Museveni campaigning for the NRM candidate Alintuma Nsambu.
Nsubuga said he still cannot believe that President Museveni went to Lwengo to campaign for Nsambu who had been implicated by Parliament for his role in the National identity cards scandal in which government stands to lose up to 200 billion shillings. This according to Nsubuga shows the President's failure to tackle corruption.
He adds that for the 21 days of campaigns he reported to the police about their officers escorting Nsambu’s agents to distribute items such as sugar and posho to voters. However, Jonathan Baroza, the Lwengo district police commander and Simon Peter Wafana, the Southern regional police commander, all said they were not aware of these actions.
Nsubuga says he also arrested the returning officer Gracious Aryaija in Mbirizi, Lwengo district allegedly tampering with the ballot boxes. The DP secretary general says he has petitioned the European Union and the donor community since they are the main funders of the police.
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Norbert Mao, the DP president cautioned NRM against going to court saying his party has more evidence to incriminate the NRM on election irregularities.
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On Friday, NRM officials led by the party’s electoral commission chief, Professor Elijah Mushemeza, had indicated that they would challenge Nsubuga’s win, a position they have since abandoned.
Mao says that DP needs clarification from the Electoral commission about the number of registered voters in Bukoto South. He claims that the NRM could have re-registered thousands of voters.
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