Besigye prefers Kigundu’s Electoral Commission to Byabakama’s

The current Electoral Commission (EC) led by Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama is worse than that of Eng Badru Kigundu, four time presidential candidate Col. Dr Kizza Besigye has said.

Dr Besigye who was addressing the media on Thursday before launching the ‘Campaign of Article 3 Twerwaneko’ at his office Katonga road said the way Justice Byabakama is organising the 2021general elections is ‘100 times more fake’ when compared to those by his predecessor Kigundu organised it.

According to Dr Besigye, the EC has given village leaders, who are partisan in one way or the other, the authority to verify voters’ register.

“Nothing good is expected out this commission. This is simply because every LC1contested as partisan, some of them rigged and a majority of them belong to National Resistance Movement while some belong to FDC. This will not show neutrality in this exercise because they will be biased,” he said.

“In the times of Eng Kigundu the commission tried to be professional.”

However, the deputy spokesman EC Paul Bukenya refuted Besigye’s claims, saying that the local leaders are not responsible for cross-checking the register but EC agents will conduct the entire verification.

“We have not given any authority to any village council leaders to do verifications but their work is to mobilise local people to come and check their names. Our agents are there to verify. No local leader is allowed to hold any voters’ register. So Mr Besigye must not fear because we have already tried this strategy in the past by-elections and I think you have seen we have not had many electoral problems like in the past,” said Bukenya.

Two weeks ago, EC vice-chairperson Hajjat Aisha Lubega said that the strategy of indulging local leaders will reduce many problems which have been repetitively raised in the past general elections since 1996.

This exercise started on Monday 21st October and will run until Monday 28th October 2019.