As the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) guild election race climaxes with elections being held today, contenders are struggling to win the race as the candidate identifying with “People Power”, a pressure group linked to the Kyaddondo East legislator, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine is tipped to massively sweep through, grabbing most votes.
Mwesiga Shenmark (People Power) is struggling alongside Ndinumukiiza Wisdom of FDC(who equally has a big following), Aine Douglas Sabiiti (NRM) and Tusingwire Romulus, an independent candidate.
Shenmark
Ndinumukiiza Wisdom -FDC
Tusingwire Romulus- Independent
Aine Douglas Sabiiti (NRM)
Shenmark has been campaigning in red berets and overalls, similar to those used by “People Power” activists, having positioned himself as a “People Power” activist right from the start of the campaigns.
Some of the students interviewed by our reporter say the candidate linked to People power stands a big chance of succeeding in the polls.
In the recently concluded Guild elections at several universities, candidates attached to the People Power outfit have overwhelmingly won the elections. At Kyambogo University , Tundulu Jonathan (Tundu Tundulu) won the election held on the 14th March ,2019.
His win was followed by that one of Julius Kateregga, a 2nd-year student of Bachelor of Arts with Education who was announced the duly elected guild president of Makerere University, replacing Papa Salim Were.
Kateregga garnered 3,922 votes beating 10 other candidates in the race. His closest rival Joshua William Mukisa got 3,365 votes while National Resistance Movement – NRM party leaning candidate Andrew Julian Taliwaku got 1,465 votes.
At Gulu University, the people power candidate was also tipped to win the race, though it turned out different. Yesterday, Police in Gulu University confirmed the arrest of the returning officer, Edmond Okello over allegations of interfering with the elections.
Okello was picked up on Saturday evening shortly after announcing FDC’s Johnson Nowe as the winner of the hotly contested guild elections held on Saturday. Nowe, a third year student of Medicine and Surgery garnered 1,403 votes, according to the results read by Okello.
Nowe defeated his close rival Samuel Oyet Agwani, a second year student pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Education who got 750 votes. He will now replace outgoing guild president Daniel Mbazira.
However, after the results were announced, some of the contestants and their supporters accused Okello of helping Nowe to rig elections.
They also complained that the number of ballot papers printed were less than the required numbers which made many students to miss voting.
Okello was later whisked away by police after the students tried to beat him up.
The Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson Jimmy Patrick Okema said that Okello was detained at Gulu central police station to prevent students from attacking him.
“We carried out a preventive arrest because he was under threat from angry students. We shall free him when the situation is calm,” Okema said.
The Spokesperson Gulu University electoral commission, Emmanuel Ochan admitted that the ballot papers printed were less and blamed Okello for the mistakes.
He noted that they had expected 5,000 ballot papers but only 3,000 were printed adding that by 4pm, voting had already stopped despite many students who had not yet cast their votes.
A total of 4,700 students registered to vote .
It remains to be seen what will become of the MUBS elections. As Usual, we’ll keep you updated.
