SEMBABULE.
Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo has this morning been involved in a standoff with security personnel after attempting to disrupt the voter register reading at Sembabule playground.
A total of 659 delegates are convening at the playground to elect the new party district chairperson .These include representatives from 17 sub-counties, parliamentary flag bearers, district executive members, and special interest groups such as the elderly and persons with disabilities.
However , delegates from Bulongo Sub-county are not taking part due to a lack of substantive leadership. But according to Ssekukubo the delegates from Meeru Parish, a non-electoral area, were wrongfully included, violating the party electoral guidelines.
“ Whatever they are doing is an attempt to rig the election , they are manipulating the delegate list and this threatens transparency and democratic processes,” Mr Ssekukubo complained
The contest is between Health State Minister Anifa Kawooya and retired army officer Phenihas Katirima. The winner of todays vote will replace former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, who is not seeking re-election after holding the office for two decades .
There is heavy police and army deployment was visible at the Sembabule Town playground, the venue for the vote, as security forces moved to prevent a repeat of past clashes in May and June which caused postponement of the polls .
The first attempt to hold the vote in May ended in chaos when supporters of the two camps clashed after police blocked them from entering the polling grounds.
Minister Kawooya later accused Sembabule District Police Commander Living Twazagye of physically assaulting her during the fracas.
Before the May vote was suspended, several key positions had already been filled unopposed. President Museveni’s younger brother, Aine Godfrey Kaguta Sodo, secured the district vice-chairperson seat, while Sembabule Woman MP Mary Begumisa was confirmed as general secretary and Mawogola North MP Shartis Musherure Kutesa as secretary for finance.
In 2010, Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo destroyed electoral materials at the same playground, alleging an attempt to rig him out, triggering clashes that left several injured.