Maverick politician and minister for constitutional affairs Norbert Mao is poised to return as Democratic Party President for a fourth term through an internal election which observers have largely described as fraudulent.
Dramatic scenes have continue to manifest at on the ongoing party national delegates conference at Samar County Resort Hotel in Mbarara City with well built men commonly known as Kanyamas whisking of ballot boxes out of the tally centre into a hotel.
This happened following an announcement by the presiding officer, Mr Kennedy Mutenyo that the four days they paid for the tent had elapsed and needed to shift ,creating suspicion of vote rigging .Three candidates including Mao are vying for the party presidency .Others are Buikwe South legislator Dr Micheal Lulume Bayiga and party vice president for northern Uganda Eria Alitia .
Bukoto Central legislator Richard Sebamala was disqualified from the race on account of being a party member for less than 10 years contrary to the party constitution
“The contract we had with the service provider of this tent has ended, we are now shifting the tally centre to the hotel,”Mr Mutenyo said.
Mutenyo’s declaration ignited chaos as delegates accused him and other top party members of trying to rig the election in favour of Mao and his confidants “We have a party treasurer here, let him or her make financial arrangements to see the payments are done and we continue with a transparent electoral process,” Mr Samson Irenga, a delegate from Masaka, said.
Mr Mutenyo, however, told the delegates that issues related to paying service providers were not his mandate.
“The issue with paying for service providers is not in my area. We have been notified by the owner of the tent that they are going to remove it, and I have no control over this,” he said.
As tempers flared, security personnel swung into action and, in trying to control the crowd, plain-clothed private security guards locally known as Kanyamas stormed the venue and whisked away the ballot boxes to the hotel as the delegates scuffled.
Some of the boxes were destroyed along the way.
By press time (three hours ago ) , the hotel where they took the ballot boxes remained heavily guarded by police.
The District Police Commander, Mbarara City South Division, Ms Esther Namara, said the deployment was intended to ensure sanity, law and order.
“Our deployment is intended to ensure law and order. There is a section of people who want to cause chaos and disrupt the exercise,” she said.
Ms Annet Nakyanja, a candidate for DP President Women’s League, said described the whole exercise a sham .
“They are instigating chaos so that they can rig the elections. They have attempted many times; they tried switching off power, but we insisted because we were watching them,” she said.
Sebamala ,said all what has been done in Mbarara is going to be challenged in court .