CEON-U: Post election Press release (01.04.2016)

CCEDU Topowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1, 2016

The post election season has been characterised by tension arising from the house arrest of lead opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, a court case by former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi and filing court petitions for MP, L.C and municipal elections.

The Citizen Election Observers Network- Uganda (CEON-U) is concerned that the continued house arrest of the lead opposition candidate infringes on his right to freedom according to article 23 of the constitution.

In article 43 of the constitution: (I) In the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms prescribed in this Chapter, no person shall prejudice the fundamental or other human rights and freedoms of others or the public interest.

(2) Public interest under this article shall not permit-

(a) political persecution;

(b) detention without trial;

(c) any limitation of the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms prescribed by this Chapter beyond what is acceptable and demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society, or what is provided in this Constitution.

NBS Besigye 16.02.2016

Section 24 of the police act gives the police a right to arrest someone if he is a threat to public security, but CEON-U demands that police produces evidence that makes Besigye a threat to public security, otherwise will his arrest be indefinite.

In a multiparty system, opposition parties should not be viewed as enemies of the state, but rather as groups that provide alternative Government programmes.

As part of a process of increasing citizen participation in Uganda’s electoral process, CEON-U recently carried out an opinion survey on the recently concluded general elections.

The survey was meant to expose electoral irregularities so as to provide a premise on how to better organise elections in Uganda.

EC 22.02.2015 Guarded Heavy

Consequently;  8 CEON-U managers visited areas where there is conflict, court petitions and requests for vote recounts to establish the causes of the disputed elections. The team visited Tororo, Gulu, Kotido, Butambala, Serere, Jinja, Mayuge, Iganga, Mukono, Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntungamo. The managers worked closely with our long-term observers who are natives of the constituencies and the districts which they observed, before, during and are observing after elections. CEON-U held focus group discussions with members of the community, local council leaders, opinion leaders and voters from all political parties in the districts.

CEON-U also met district police officials, district returning officers, registrars in courts of law and victims of electoral violence.

Oulanyah House 20.02.2016

Findings:

Generally, the presidential and parliamentary elections were peaceful, but the period leading up to the election day was volatile in all the districts visited. In Mayuge for instance a man died under unclear circumstances. He was a supporter of Robert Ntende, an independent candidate. He is said to have been killed by supporters of Idi Isabirye.

In Iganga at Idudi supporters of NRM and FDC clashed on the eve of elections over voter bribery. The NRM MP was giving out cash to voters who alerted FDC supporters. FDC supporters reacted by blocking the NRM from giving out money, the NRM called a NAADS soldier to rescue them. He came and shot dead a 25-year-old man and the crowd became more rowdy. And the soldier continued firing live bullets. In the process of the scuffle, a woman was shot through the arm and an s.3 student was shot through the neck. Both these people were not involved in the scuffle but had gone to the trading centre to buy food. This shooting took place at 8:00pm. (attached are the pictures of the victims of the shootings).

The way results were tabulated and announced at the district provided a sharp contrast with what the locals had gathered from the polling stations. This happened for all the elections, presidential, parliamentary, district council and municipal elections.

NRM UPC Arua 16.11.15

There are mainly two known political parties, the NRM and FDC; even though Uganda has 10 political parties. UPC which was once a known party is almost non-existent.

In a strong multi-party dispensation system people are given an opportunity to have divergent views on handling issues of governance. A weak political party system promotes a one party system of governance which impedes institutional growth.

The management of electoral processes by some of the district returning officials was poor.

A case in point is Jinja: When it came to the L.C.3 election of Walukuba West Parish B;

The LC 3 election had five candidates Joseph Bateganya Atumika, Bisusa Amisi Kafuko, Kirunda Isaac Kiwunda, Mande Milton and Mbulugu Emmanuel.

On Election day the ballot papers that were supplied to the polling stations had wrong names. Mande Milton was called Mande Milton Kirunda. Also party symbols were mixed up between the NRM candidate and FDC candidate. This was sufficient ground for the election to have been cancelled. However, even when the Jinja district returning officer, Ambrose Mwaita was notified about the anomaly he told the candidate Kirunda Isaac Kiwunda that electoral commission Jinja was not going to do anything about this case. A case has been filed against the electoral commission in Jinja court by Kirunda Isaac Kiwunda.

There are several other electoral disputes that have been filed in courts of law in the various districts. In Omoro Constituency there is a Petition: Simon Toolit Vs Oulanyah Jacob was logged in on March 24 2016. Simon Tollit is suing the Incumbent Oulanyah Jacob and EC over election mal practice. These included ballot boxes being kept away in a saloon, EC tampering with DR forms, EC using a Different format of the District DR Form to declare results among other things.

Anti Riot Police 30.01.2016 Before FDC Campaign Kabale

Intimidation and Violence:

In Katawi, Amuria, Bukedea and Serere there were cases of intimidation and violence. The community claimed they were beaten by militia groups and crime preventers and were warned against voting an opposition party into power. ( attached is a picture of the people who gave confessions during a focus group discussion)

In Mukono the parliamentary campaigns were characterised by violence and chaos. According to the electoral commission, Fatuma Ndisaba’s supporters used to beat up Betty Nambooze’s supporters during campaigns. There was also the problem of candidates campaigning beyond the stipulated for campaign time and supporters clashing after the campaigns.

Badru EC

Recommendations:

 The military should be restrained from participating in elections, because elections are volatile in nature. Electoral commission should improve its image by investigating and eventually laying off district returning officers who are said to have altered DR forms and extorted money from candidates who wanted to be announced winners.   All political parties should be treated equally and respectfully by the Government in power.  The Government should seriously consider the electoral reforms that civil society presented last year. Presiding officers and polling assistants should be better remunerated to prevent them from being compromised during elections.  Management of elections is not a single days event. Planning and training of officials, desk officers, middle level managers, desk officers, heads of departments on the process of elections should start the second month after the general elections. Training presiding and polling officials should be done a month to the elections to minimise errors on the DR forms.

Ugandan Election 2016 Grieving

Conclusion:

The democratic path is a long bumpy one, despite the many electoral irregularities that marred the recently concluded elections, the gains made over the last 30 years cannot just be thrown away. We need more concerted effort to promote true democratic ideals.

For more information about CEON-U contact Dr Martin Mwondha on 0788929052 or email omwondha662@yahoo.com visit our website at http://www.ceonu.or.ug (CEON – Uganda) – Towards 2016: Conducting a Unified, Comprehensive and effective election Observation Mission in Uganda. You can also visit the FHRI offices in Nsambya.

President Mugabe dozes off while standing? (Youtube-Clip)

“President Robert Mugabe (92), who is in Japan, appears to be dozing off while standing on a podium during a joint press briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe” (Alpha Media Live, 2016).

IGP Kayihura lied; Still Police guarding the gate at Besigye’s home in Kasangati!

Kasangati 01.04.2016 Police

As earlier in the day the IGP Kayihura talked bravely again of leaving the home of Dr. Kizza Besigye, the reality of on the ground and around his compound is the same. It is more or less the same as in the recent 40 days of house-arrest!  The Police is in the Anti-Riot Vehicle guarding his home and keeping him under strict surveillance and has not left the gates of his home. This is strictly countering the words earlier in the day.

So IGP Kayihura the man who says he never was under house-arrest and now said he ordered DPC Kawalya to drop the Police from the premises and the compound of the FDC Presidential candidate and the Amama Mbabazi Petition to Supreme Court for annulment of the Election have been dismissed, why are they still there?

Kasangati 01.04.2016 Police P2

Or has somebody after hearing your lying words countered you and not allowed for another deployment of the honorable Police that are still standing outside the gates of his home!

For those who forget quickly this is what was being told to the press for IGP Kayihura: ““he has instructed Kasangati Police Station DPC to withdraw deployment outside Dr Kizza Besigye’s home as they maintain close monitoring of his movements to ensure people’s safety”.

Wafula Oguttu statement today:

The police has just deployed more officers around Dr Besigye’s home. More than before with more motorcycles and closer to the main gate. We are yet to know what is going on especially given the fact that the IPG told the world today that they had given back Dr Besigye’s freedom. I am here”

Does not look like that to me. They are still sitting there and wondering if he ever going to leave the compound so they detain him again, that is the routine for the men at the gates of Kasangati.

Well, same old same old. More lies from the proud, IGP Kayihura and the pictures say it all. Peace.

An Important Update!

Look now at evening time they are still there and not planing to leave!

Kasangati Night 01.04.2016

Phosa speaks out on Zuma (Youtube-Clip)

“JOHANNESBURG, 01 April 2016 – Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa is calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down. In a speech delivered to business leaders in Limpopo on Thursday night, Phosa pleaded with the governing party to take decisive action following the Constitutional Court ruling on Nkandla” (eNCA, 2016)

Free Uganda statement in support of the YOUTH WARRIORS who are spreading the message of Revolution and mobilizing the masses for the Freedom Struggle (01.04.2016)

Museveni Idi Amin

Ugandans will not allow Museveni to impose himself on the country using NRM cadre judges, and the savage barbarism of Kayihura//Muhoozi killer-torture squads. The nation’s patriotic youths are igniting the fire of Revolution that will spread across the land in the coming months.

Uganda’s Revolutionary youth are leading the Struggle for Freedom, and their message of DEFIANCE is spreading like fire across the Motherland.

As the ‘CHAIN’ WARRIORS’ were successfully highlighting the state of terror in the country, by chaining themselves in strategic areas of the capital city, Music Superstars, like Eddy Kenzo, Bobi Wine, etc, were making their contribution by using their performances as a launch pad for mobilising the masses.

Free Uganda thanks these patriotic youth for paving the way for the evolving struggle. We applaud their courage and determination in the face of intense brutality and repression from the Museveni / Muhoozi / Kayihura negative forces.

Fellow Liberation Struggle Patriots of the young generation – the CHAIN WARRIORS, the MUSIC WARRIORS, the STREET WARRIORS, the CITY WARRIORS, the VILLAGE WARRIORS, etc, your noble stand against injustice and Museveni’s terrorism is inspiring millions of our citizens and preparing the country for the final show-down in the People’s Struggle for freedom and democracy.

Demonstrator Kampala 31.03.2016

A lot more is to come in the days and months ahead, and Despot Yoweri Museveni must know that the Ugandan People will not rest until he is squarely defeated in his attempt to illegitimately hold onto power after what was the MOST RIGGED ELECTIONS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

Never mind what some NRM CADRE JUSTICES say, in such incredible shameless support for the Despot, Ugandan People are not going to allow the Museveni Family apparatus to continue forcefully imposing itself on the country. Ugandans will not allow Museveni to hang around state house for what are purely egoistical and self-fulfilling motivations.

Museveni must understand that this time round Ugandans are not going to play any SOFTLY-SOFTLY GAMES with him.

The liberty, democracy, happiness and ‘Museveni-less’ future they seek is not negotiable.

Ugandans have decided to move on without Museveni, and it shall be so, whether the despot wants it or not.

And, for God and Country, every means permissible by the Constitution of Uganda will be deployed to achieve the desired outcome.

Issued by Dr Vincent Magombe, Secretary FreeUganda Leadership Committee and Press Secretary FU.

On the orders of the sudden change of guards from the Calvary to leave the home of the People’s President in Kasangati; Let be clear the message of IGP Kayihura is not doing this out of goodwill; the Police leaves because Mzee thinks he is safe

Kayihura Mentoring Service

IGP Kale Kayihura: “We shall not allow Kizza Besigye to continue violating the law. We shall watch his conduct to ensure people and property aren’t in danger. We are extending a token of goodwill but we expect him to respect the law”. He also said: “he has instructed Kasangati Police Station DPC to withdraw deployment outside Dr Kizza Besigye’s home as they maintain close monitoring of his movements to ensure people’s safety”. He said this today at a Press Conference at Nguru, the Police Headquarters.

Daudi Mpaka Kasangati Court 18.03.2016

This was supposed to happen at the Kasangati Magistrate Court earlier today:

High Court judge Justice Elizabeth Kabanda is expected to rule on the matter in which the DPP is challenging Kasangati grade one magistrate’s decision of continuing with the hearing of Kizza Besigye’s case challenging unlawful incarceration at his home.

While that was supposed to happen this morning after over 40 days without charges or warrant the IGP Kayihura has ordered the Police to leave the property of Dr. Kizza Besiyge.

Kasangati 20.02.2016

Let’s be clear on the matter, it is not good-will, it happens the day after the petition and the “official” post-election period is over. Because now the judiciary and the Electoral Commission is scotch free by law. Therefore the “threat” of Dr. Kizza Besigye and his FDC is gone in the matter of the law and the Elections laws of the country.

IGP Kayihura says it is goodwill that they leave, be clear it is not and they have been squatting in an unlawful action against a presidential candidate and besieged his legal political party. Now it’s supposed to be ordered by him to the local District Police Commander James Kawalya of Kasangati. They have been there for 41 days!

How is it to violating the law to defy the regime who detain you without reason while preaching and executing orders who resists common sense, as the ruling party is following a Resistance Movement, but cannot handle Defiance; that must be a lie as the defying the matters is clearly resisting and being of resistance towards what was then an oppressive regime of Obote. They did their resistance against that and took power. So it is foolish to stumble over the rhetoric of defiance campaign as the defying of the regime who can’t stand by their unlawful actions and their draconian laws.

Kizza Besigye 23.02.2016

During the 41 days, twice the IGP Kayihura has gone out with statements and press releases and claimed he was not to be under house-arrest, but with the orders today he establishing precedence as they have closed his area and his movement. They have taken him lots of time to be detained at different Police Stations and sleeping at night in his home, before the Police-Van stopped coming in the mornings at his home.

The Police have detained people trying to visit him, not letting FDC officials getting to his home and conduct party meetings, they have roadblocks and even squatted at neighbors’ homes since the Police never established mobile-toilets to the Police-Officers who besieged his home.

So the whole ordeal is messed up and the UPF, IGP Kayihura and the NRM-Regime do this like amateurs and like fools. They whined-up the Electoral Process, the people who got ecstatic and think that there will be changes, but that is not the fate of the people, as the NRM-Regime had it all already decided for them.

They might leave him for now, but don’t be surprised if he leaves his compound that the monitoring of his movement will leave him the opportunity to yet again visit and be detained at Naggalama Police Station or Kiira Road Police Station, even if he is extra lucky get a arrested and taken to Kampala Central Police Station, he knows the cell of every station because of the special place in the heart of Mzee.

Kiira Road Police 15.02.2016 FDC

What they fear is that he can ignite the people and no matter how much the army or the Police try to control them, they cannot shut it down when it becomes like his Nomination rally in November 2015. So they have not kept him under house-arrest since mid-February out of good heart or of the best of the country, but for the best of the Executive and for him to dissolve the will of the people as the monument of the opposition have been under siege and not really had the freedom or liberty to be an ordinary human being.

So IGP Kayihura, you can stick your “Goodwill” up your blindly following the Executives behind and take that arrogant mentality somewhere it is fitting. Because you have told fairytales and told nonsense for so long that the goodwill you speak of, is not a true assessment; for the simple matter you have no charge or warrant, taken the freedom of a presidential candidate and taken it away with force and made his home a prison.

Also the blatant disregard done by the Kasangati Magistrate Court and the judges who has used Pro-Bono, Waiting days and then send the matter to the High Court without the judgement been done there either. Therefore the matter of illegal house-arrest was today been set to determine at the Court again. While the IGP Kayihura orders might inflict and gives “freedom” under “monitoring” Police proves that he is still seen as a “criminal” by the NRM-Regime. Because a free-man and ordinary citizen would not be monitored and followed by the security organization. That is something that IGP Kayihura and the NRM have totally forgotten. But hey they don’t believe in the will of their people, only of the one man with a vision; the old man with a hat who has the only vision that matters and the orders that IGP Kayihura follows blindly.

This also happen at Kasangati today!

As this has been said there been a meeting with Youth Leaders at the home of Kizza Besigye.

Kasangati 01.04.2016

Think that is enough. Peace.

Press Release: Imperial Bank Limited (In Receivership) Kenya (31.03.2016)

Imperial Bank CBK 31.03.2016 P1Imperial Bank CBK 31.03.2016 P2

The Grand display of Celebration for NRM in Kampala after the dismissal of Election Petition and in general validating of the election in favor of Mzee

NBS Celebration 31.03.2016

“NRM supporters in Mukono celebrated President Museveni’s victory in the Amama Mbabazi petition which was dismissed today by the Supreme Court “(NBS TV Uganda, 2016).

Today there was the Supreme Court ruling that dissmisal of the Election Petition number one, and therefore there was all of a sudden a giant celebration, so big that we can forget the Nomination Day in Kampala; when Dr. Kizza Besigye was sitting on the chair between Central Kampala to the Stadium where he had the first rally of the pre-election period and Presidential Campaign. Here is two pictures show’s the” massive” grand celebration for the NRM and the President Museveni re-election in Kampala!

Kampala NRM Celebration 31.03.2016 P1

How the NRM got the crowd today:

The National Resistance Movement – NRM hired boda boda riders and skate boys to hold stage-managed celebrations in Kampala, amid heavy police deployment. The public ignored them, which is a huge political statement indicating the unpopularity of President Museveni’s electoral and court victory among Ugandans”.

Kampala NRM Celebration 31.03.2016 P2

Somewhere sits Dr. Kizza Besigye, wait, he sits in house-arrest in Kasangati and laughs at the meager display from the NRM-Regime. He should have a laugh at this, because this proves his rhetoric and arguments earlier today. Peace.

4 MPs ejected from the house for disrupting President Kenyatta’s state of the nation address (Youtube-Clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBb9-lJmeH0

“The country has been taken aback after a section of members of parliament cast the integrity of Kenya’s law making institution into disrepute , briefly disrupting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s state of the nation address. National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and his Senate counterpart Ekwee Ethuro were forced to invoke house standing orders to eject errant ODM MPs who frantically interrupted the President’s speech with loud whistle blows and heckling. Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi and Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang were forcefully ejected from the joint session of parliament after they resisted orders from the respective speakers. Chemutai Goin witnessed the unusual events in parliament that also saw four other opposition MPs ejected” (K24TV, 2016)

Hon Opiyo Wandayi Manhandled and Ejected from Parliament -Uhuru State of the Nation Speech (Youtube-Clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEibi7mug4w

“WATCH RAW VIDEO: Not shown on TV footage, the epic moment Ugunja MP the Hon Opiyo Wandayi is manhandled and forcefully ejected from the precincts by orderlies after heckling by opposition MPs prevented Uhuru Kenyatta from reading his #‎SOTN14 speech in parliament” (Kenya Today, 2016)