The Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi, has reportedly been blocked from accessing Kalangala island district by security operatives, in the ongoing kalangala District woman MP by election.
According to Ssenyonyi, he has been held at Bukakata landing site for more than two hours, which is deterring him from supervising the elections on behalf of the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Irene Nampala.
Irene Nampala, is a sister to the late legislator Hellen Nakimuli, who passed away following an unsuccessful uterine fibroid removal operation at Alexandros Medical Center in April.
“I’ve been seated on the ferry meant to go to Kalangala from Bukakata for close to two hours, but it has not set off” he posted.
Ssenyonyi, who is also the NUP Spokesperson said, security operatives informed him that they didn’t get any clearance for him to proceed to the islands.
“I’m told there’s been an instruction not to set off because there is no “clearance” yet for me to proceed to Kalangala, where I’m meant to be one of the supervisors for our candidate Nampala Irene’s team in the by-election” he said.
Ssenyonyi further noted that, the party has been getting numerous reports of numberless cars moving to various polling stations, and reports of ballot staffing.
The NUP Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, has revealed a lot of intimidation on various islands that make up Kalangala district, with a number of numberless vehicles moving around the island.
“There are so many cars which have no number plates moving around, Mr. Byabakama and his team have given us assurances numerous times that these numberless vehicles will not be moving around, but you get to see them around Kalangala right now” he said.
He added, “There’s a lot of intimidation, voter bribery, people stationing at polling stations, giving out money to people to influence how they vote and of course, the general state of intimidation and fear”.
Rubongoya further alleged that some of the NUP agents are being picked up from the polling stations.
“We have done our best to at least ensure that every polling station, we have agents, we have supervisors and all that. But there is an effort, an ongoing effort, to chase them off, to ballot stuff. In some cases, they are not following the BVVK machines” he said.
On Tuesday, tensions rose on the island district after 17 boxes out of the 23 boxes destined for Mugoye Sub County, were found to have different serial numbers from those on packing lists provided by the Electoral Commission.
While addressing stakeholders, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission Justice Simon Byabakama called for a peaceful, violence-free Kalangala by-election and further urged for the impounding of all numberless vehicles during the election.
However, contrary to allegations that the Biometric Voter Verification Machines (BVVK), were not being followed, the Spokesperson of the Electoral commission Mr Julius Mucunguzi, has revealed that the commission deployed Biometric Voter Verification Machines.
“To verify the authenticity of every voter at each of the 115 polling stations across the 84 islands, before being handed a ballot paper. The ‘success’ sound you hear confirms that such voter is authentic & verified on the register” he said on a post on his X handle on Wednesday.
