HOIMA. The district security team in Hoima has resolved to arrest the district NRM registrar Mr Joseph Kutegeka after he declared two candidates as winners for Bugahya Constituency .
The resolution was made during a security meeting on Saturday that was held at the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in Kitoba sub-county.
The security team also want Mr Kutegeka to be subjected to a mental health checkup.
In the race for the woman MP seat, the Kutegeka initially declared Beatrice Wembabazi as the winner with 44.8 percent of the votes. However, just a few minutes later, he also announced incumbent Harriet Businge as the winner, leaving supporters from both camps confused.
In the Bugahya constituency, the contest was between Amlan Tumusiime, the former RDC for Kikuube district, and the incumbent Pius Wakabi. Kutegeka first declared Tumusiime as the winner, but when Wakabi’s supporters protested, he then declared Wakabi as the winner as well, leading to increased tension between the two camps.
After the security committee meeting, RDC Rodger Mbabazi addressed the media and announced that they had instructed the Police to hunt down and arrest Kutegeka along with his electoral team.
The security committee agreed to conduct a mental health evaluation on Kutegeka to assess his mental status.
Mbabazi stated that the act of Kutegeka has led to chaos and confusion in the district. On Friday, supporters of the aggrieved candidates stormed the Hoima RDC’s office in Kitoba and broke the windows of the office.
“You cannot serve as a registrar and declare two winners in an election for a single position.
That creates total confusion. This individual should undergo a mental evaluation, as I’ve never encountered anything like this before. It is a significant embarrassment,” he stated.
He urged supporters and candidates to remain calm, stating that their concerns had been submitted to the office of the NRM Electoral Commission chairman, Dr. Tang Odoi, for intervention.
However, on Friday, Kutegeka defended his actions, explaining that he made the declaration under duress.
“I saw violent individuals with stones, and as an elderly man, I feared for my life, so I did what they wanted me to do,” he said.
Mbabazi denied Kutegeka’s allegations, asserting the tally centre’s security due to Police and army presence to address any potential security threats.