SEMBABULE .
Former Army spokesperson Rtd Gen. Phenihas Katirima has been declared the winner of Sembabule ruling National Resistance Movement ( NRM) district chairperson polls as her rival Anifa Kawooya, the state minister for health (general duties ) boycotted the citing rigging
Gen. Katirima went through unopposed after Ms Kawooya and her supporters stormed out of Sembabule Town playground ,which was the venue for the election .
Trouble started when the voters had lined up to vote the district party secretary for finance -a position which was being contested for by Mr Dez Byuuma, the party flag bearer for Mawogola South parliamentary seat and Ms Shartis Musherure Kutesa, the Mawongola North MP .
Before walking out ,Ms Kawooya together with Lwemiyaga County legislator Theodore Ssekikubo complained that solders led by the notorious Lt .Bashar Zziwa, had started beating up their supporters and could not stand the humiliation . “My supporters can’t be beaten and I look on ,” Ms Kawooya said before ordering her supporters to walk way .
Lt Zziwa and his team attempted to block Kawooya’s group from walking out of the venue in protest , but they overpowered them and left .
Lt Zziwa has since May been implicated in party election violence in the district which led to the death of one person at Kirega trading Centre on June 26.
There was presence of heavy police and army deployment at the Sembabule Town playground, the venue for the vote, as security forces moved in to prevent a repeat of past clashes.
Speaking about the exercise , Ms Deborah Arayo , the acting Sembabule District party registrar said Gen Katirima was declared unopposed because they could not allow the polls to be suspended for a third time .
“ We had to proceed with the exercise even after Hon Kawooya had pulled out of the race and we finally got the winner ,”she said
Others elected on the district party executive include Aine Godfrey Kaguta Sodo, a brother of President Museveni who was elected unopposed the district vice-chairperson , Sembabule Woman MP Mary Begumisa ( general secretary) ,Mawogola North MP Shartis Musherure Kutesa ( secretary for finance) and Denis Ddumba ( secretary for publicity .
On the other hand, Ms Kawooya’s camp also went ahead and elected a parallel district executive which she heads as chairperson , Mr Ssekikubo ( vice chairperson ), Rhoda Namanda ( general secretary ) Byuuma( secretary for finance) ,Emmanuel Mbaziira ( secretary for publicity ) .It remains to be seen whether Katirima’s election will be upheld by the top leadership or the election will again been cancelled .