Rehema Muhindo, the NRM candidate for the Kasese district woman MP by-election has failed to get nominated because her papers are locked up in the NRM offices. Muhindo was scheduled to be nominated this morning, but couldn’t make it because her papers are locked up in the NRM office that was close on Wednesday over rent.
Chan Masereka, the owner of the building occupied by the NRM office says that the party owes him shillings 6.4 million. Masereka says that he has not been paid rent for two years and eight months. He says that they have written several letters to the party urging them to pay, but there hasn’t been any response. This morning, several Kasese district NRM party leaders were seen pacing up and down to have the offices opened in vain.
They later held a closed door in Kasese town and agreed that Muhindo gets nominated on Friday as they look for money to have the offices opened. Uganda Radio Network failed to get a comment from the Minister of Defense Crispus Kiyonga, who is the NRM district chairman because his phone went unanswered. However two candidates managed to get nominated at the offices of the district registrar on Alexandar Street in Kasese town.
They included Winnie Kiiza, the FDC candidate and Betty Kayezu Kagoro, an independent. Kiiza was accompanied to the nominations by her husband Yokasi Bihande, the Bukonzo East MP, FDC Party President Kizza Besigye, Conservative Party (CP) President, Ken Lukyamuzi and FDC district leaders.
After being declared nominated by Vallay Kanzira, the Kasese district registrar, they moved around Kasese town in a convoy of boda boda cyclists accompanied by the anti-riot police. The nomination exercise will end on Friday with the nomination of Muhindo and Rosemary Masika, the Democratic Party (DP) candidate.
Campaigns will start next week on Monday and elections will be conducted on August 8th. The Kasese Woman MP seat fell vacant after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of Kiiza over irregularities in the electoral process that saw valid votes wrongfully nullified.
Three Justices of the Court of Appeal led by the Deputy Chief Justice Alice Mpagi Bahigeine found that more than 6,841 votes were invalidated wrongfully because Electoral Commission officials did not know their role. The Judges noted that the invalidated votes affected the results substantially.
