Opinion: The US election needs EOMs [ASAP]

The United States of America seems like it needs Election Observation Missions to give an oversight and look into the election process. Especially, since the US administration and the Trump Administration isn’t in the space of wanting free and fair elections. The democratic values is dying. The ability to use foreign actors and rig elections is getting more rampant.

The way the money are commercialized the elections and the PACs who are used to promote candidates. The way industries and donors are swaying parties not only one policies, but also how they gearing into certain type of candidates. This is already disfranchising big parts of the electorate. Just by knowing this, there should be asking questions of how “free” the elections are, when the candidates and parties needs to millions of dollars to be able to field candidates in the first place.

The other worry is how states are disfranchising voters from voting. Blocking people from the polls. Making it harder for people to vote. Putting in place laws that blocks certain parts of the demographics and also gerrymandering too. This is all done deliberately to ensure one party get automatic seats. That is all done in ways to ensure one party get their ticket through in that state.

In the United States with the Republican Party and the Trump Administration. There is now proof, that he wants to be a big man. He is sowing doubt about mail-in-ballots or Absentee-Voting. Something the President and his allies has done several of times. This will issue that voting will take longer time, but it will still be valid ballots. However, with this the results will be monitored in another way then before. The polls and the declared results will be later. Nevertheless, it is only a different change of method, but not changing the fact.

The US has also a President that has repeatedly wanted to rule forever and stating that he will not make a peaceful transition if he looses. That is a warning sign of weak “big-man” who doesn’t respect democratic values. However, there have never been any signals of that from the Head of State. He wants to rule on decree and be accountable.

When we know all this, the African Union (AU), Organization of American States (OAS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Commonwealth and the European Union should all send Election Observer Missions to the United States Presidential Elections before November 2020 polls.

Something got to happen. To ensure the ballots are verified. Before the voter registered are bugged, all technical staff and such. There need to be an Memorandum of Understanding between the US and alternatives EOMs. They need to travel across the Republic and check it out. The US needs several EOMs to ensure they are doing things correctly. Because, they need outsiders monitoring and reporting on what’s happening.

The US have pushed this on others. They have sent the Carter Center and others to overlook others when they are going to the polls. However, with the history of questionable results and vote rigging for instance in Florida like in 2000. There is a need for EOMs to overlook everything and could be a driving force to secure the elections. So, they can either verify or write condemnations of how they are doing things wrongly.

They can also see the malfunctions, the possible rigging and the possible disfranchising of citizens from the polls. The EOMs can prove this and report it. They will follow the Constitution and the Election statutes. They will sign-off to International Standards and will state what they are seeing. They will not be partisan and be for one party.

The chaos and the way the President is putting things in a tail-spin. The way his allies, cronies and appointed leaders are making things worse. The way his party is not supporting the core values of the Republic.

It shows the needs for a EOMs to the U.S. they are in dire need for it. We the world need to secure this election. Unless, we’re cool with Russian interference and others swaying the elections in their favours. So, if we don’t care. Then they can swim alone in their own big sea. However, it looks like they need some oversight and transparency from outsiders.

I never expect it to happen, but it would be a healthy vibe. The US seems on a path of self-destruction and need the world to give them notes on how to do it. Since, they have forgotten how they do it and need observers and experts from the outside. To ensure they are doing the right thing and are holding credible elections. This, because the President and his allies are creating doubt… also they are doing what they can to hack and seemingly “rig” in their favour. When you do this all to distrust a process and election. Then its really a need for someone to spell it out and report on it.

Who better, then to get the AU, OAS and ASEAN to the bid? They can all have some former Presidents as the leaders of the teams with bunch of former MPs and such. These will all be based across the Republic. One team in the West, one in the East and another in the Mid-West. Also, even Commonwealth based in the South. Just so all of them have their bases and can do their thing. That seems like something the world can do.

We know it will never happen… but it would be a healthy and ensure credibility. The US needs it these days and that says a lot about the fall of the Republic. Peace.

Supreme Court dismissial of the Election Petition No. 1. of Amama Mbabazi; As expected they would validate the votes for Mzee

Chief Justice (CJ) Bart Katureebe: “1st respondent (Museveni) was validly elected. This petition is dismissed. We make no orders for costs”.

It is not that I wanted to say this, but I had as little faith in the Ugandan Supreme Court as much the two dancing dolphins cares about Shakespeare or as much Donald Trump cares about his own integrity. Not much.

On the 30^th March there been rumors and speculated that the Supreme Court Justices happened to visit the Entebbe Statehouse, the day before the Final Grand Judgement of the First Election Petition and the only one on the matter. Seems strange right? The day before in the middle of the process that the Supreme Court Judges ferries to the Executive or the President Museveni’s State House, Who happens to be the respondent or Defendant for the Electoral Process, is shipping the men to his hollow chambers the day before. Surely not for cooling chat with his loyal men, but securing the Power of his ruling power.

The Court case is supposed to be dismissed on the grounds of not valid evidence of bribing, pre-ticketing the ballots, re-writing the Candidates DR Forms from the Polling Stations, the later arrival of Polling Material, Discontinued or even dismissal of large amount of voters in Wakiso or Kampala, none of these evidence are credible or just mere rumors; barely mere speculations that cannot be the narrative of an election said to be credible by the East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) who them all said they we’re “free and fair”; and since all of them came to that conclusion it has to be true!

As I have been listening to the Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, my thoughts of yesterday were actually true. They have only given in on some demands, but have no plans of annulment of the Presidential Elections, as the affidavits was usually not taken in and the statements of the incumbent was the ones that we’re valid. The blatant lies of the Public Officials not campaigning for the Executive, but on their own capacity seems to be another way of cleaning their hands instead of looking into it. For instance of Frank Tumbewaze was not the campaigning on his own accord, but to be there to spread the news of the NRM.

The whole Supreme Court had not seen evidence or reasons for the annulment of the Presidential Election and therefore handing the announcement of President Museveni his seventh term. I know it is officially his fifth, but that is another lie that the NRM-Regime. The Declaration of the Supreme Court dismissed the case. We can now the Electoral Commission has been validate and the justices have been served for the Executive, but not respecting the people and the actual votes.

I will discuss more when the Supreme Court Documents are actually leaked to the public and discuss the so called missing evidence and the reasons for the validating the elections. Proves that the visit at Entebbe State House have given way for the Court Justices or Judges to oversee the compliance of evidence.

Hon. Amama Mbabazi the Presidential Candidate have now gone through the same dismissial in the Supreme Court as Dr. Kizza Besigye twice had gotten dismissed. That the Chief Justice talks about Substantial or sufficient amounts of voters not respected their ballots.

So the NRM have maybe won through total intimidation and thieving the election as the Executive is making himself ready for the sworn-in-ceremony together with the loyal presidents from abroad. While the will only be hired crowds and guns on the street; not a legitimate celebration; as there hasn’t been any good public relation between the opposition and the continuation of the ruling-party.

“We are satisfied that the results used to declare Museveni winner were valid. The petitioner did not produce any evidence against this. We also found that there was non compliance but we are not satisfied that the non compliance affected the results announced” – Chief Justice Bart Katureebe

The Executive proves he does not care about the integrity and honoring of the public will. As the Police have taken the opposition hostage and taken their votes away; now together with the Supreme Court ruling and dismissing of the elections. There been to many Electoral Frauds, the Supreme Court does not see merits, because their payed puppets of the ruling regime, and those who thought they would give a different verdict; have lived in an alternative world where the dancing dolphins rules the world. Something it is not.

There will be more to come… as I myself can read the documents and the affidavits, and the unproved allegations have been dismissed by the court; therefore the Court Ruling have dismissed the people and their will, the case for court as long as the NRM-Regime and their Electoral laws are there, they are mended and tailor-made for the Executive. Peace.   

Mzee and his Militarized State; the Guns never left the Executive it seems!

“Soldiers feel that the Police are not serious with the criminal elements and that they are corrupt. The army had to come in and insist that criminals must be punished. It happens in all countries, there is a time when the army assumes the duty of internal security”. General Museveni (Daily Nation – Nairobi – January 26, 1987).

This is ironic that President Museveni said in 1987. We can see that times has changed or that his mind set to other perspective then directly from the bush. With the guerrilla warfare and the so-called liberation struggle, that has been discovered more and more about the tactics done to get power.

It is surely and clearly many ways President Museveni talked democratic values while it has been uncovered that he oppressed the media and opposition. It has done that since day one of the regime, just different how far and to what extent. It has always tried to look beautiful on the surface and smiles to the donors and Election Observers Missions while in the end, the institutions built around the Mzee. That the Electoral Reforms haven’t really been there for free and fair elections. When I went through the 1996 elections the stories are similar to today’s oppression of the opposition.

While opening up for free-market thinking has over time and letting the United Kingdom, Kenyan, South African, Indian and Libyan businessmen got easy trading ability in the country, while the exports and trade boards are gone, less of unions and other governmental structures. In the later years the government has started with micro-credit, Operation Wealth Creation and Youth Livelihood Programs as a cheap way of trying to patch up with the loss of sufficient structures that are sold out, by government to get loans in the beginning of its administrations.

We can easily see that the government who came to power with the guns and ammunition, and still has MPs directly from the army is bound to have the militarized effect on the politics. As the Police are acting with direct force and not following always rule of law. While the government overflows with former colonels and generals becoming politicians instead of businessmen and civil servants as the President is a bush-man himself and been part of two insurgents to power. One in the end of 70s and one in the famous 1986, so the guns never left the power and stayed there; even the tale with the donor-funding of the army from abroad to fight dirty wars the U.S. don’t want to stick their finger in, as in Somalia and Central African Republic.

The Electoral Reforms as discussed briefly the NRM-Regime have stifled most of the time any kind of reform and ruling power therefore had to have two elections on referendum to release the Multi-Party Democracy and also been making the difference between using government funds and using the well-known factor of promises pledges from direct government subsidies to the big-men and chiefs, even Parejo’s and other SUV’s given to men to secure the votes and loyalty to the Mzee.

There been steady shifts in leaders underneath Mzee as he has taken down the men who has been built by his leadership, as he want the ones with his former MPs, VPs and PMs as they wanted to elevate themselves and leave him behind. As the founding father of NRM, nobody else should rule the party and have the Executive control. He took it with a gun and easily takes pictures with it to show where his strength is.

The government have used all kind of methods and tricks to gain riches to NRM elite and leave the certainty of other manufactures, industries and even achieve certain outcomes only for the closest allies of the NRM, even on Town Council levels where NRM members and NRM elders have closest call to get add-ons and secure funding for projects, while the opposition and other institutions have to get hands-out by international NGOs or Bilateral funds to get enough for what they need. The Resistance Councils and the now Local Councils are built for securing de-facto loyalty to the Executive and learn the strength of regime, not to be a democratic system.

The Police and Army is built around loyal men in the top and men the Executive can trust to follow his suit and have his family close connected, even with Gen. Salim Selah not in direct leadership position as he has been involved into too much thefts, thieving and other activities to clean the leadership to look decent for international community, even with Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is groomed and quickly up the ante with running the Special Forces Command. The ruthlessness of the army and Police never left, and the new laws in place have given lee-way to them to use it as free-for-all to shut down dissidents. While the leadership is steady shifting  and moving as they don’t want the DPC, RPC and Army commanders to be on short-leach and not be to homely where they work.

The continuation of post-election violence in Bundibugyo and Kasese, the way the army is deployed there days on days, shooting Rwenzururu Kingdoms security guards, while the treat of the ADF-NALU who is stations right over the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as always the Police issues statements blaming other forces, even when video footage and other eye-witness counter their words and intelligence; in the end insulting the intelligence of the people.

The NRM-Regime and the words of their Executive is now totally different than what he was talking the first years of their reign. The Economy is dire, the donors are more futile and less interested in involving themselves in a militarized economy and where the NRM-Elite instead of the citizens and general population, the ones that get funding is direct funded projects as roads and buildings, but not economic prosperity as the inflations is high, the value of currency dwindles, the amount of monies to buy ordinary food-stuffs, the government have added higher loans to sufficiently take up the vacuum of the loss of donor-funds to the governmental budgets.

The whole picture is not as it should be after the ruling-party have run the country for 30 years, the picture should be a steady economy, a secure police-force respected and honor the citizens, an army working for securing the borders and doing international missions not for securing funding, but to generate peace. The country should have beneficiary institutions and taxations with representation, the ones that been done have not delivered, the steady progress has not been delivered, and when is when the media has blasted or BBC have got a whiff of it. As the NBS or NTV cannot whip the power to change, the same with the papers as they are mostly censored and controlled as the radio-stations have lost their transmitters, license and even their hosts been detained while being on air, the Daily Monitor ransacked for two days and the NTV banned from following the Presidential Campaign trail of the Executive.

There is an issue when the army is such a big part of nation, in the parliament, in the streets, in deployment and around all the time. The internal security is based on the army, not the police who is also militarized with sections of special units with military equipment for breaking down demonstrations and other gatherings of opposition, even independents who was former NRM have struggled with army and the Police Force. As the detaining of Opposition without charges, house arrests of Presidential Candidates and taking people with Candidates Declarations Forms from the Polling Station.

The whole picture is not of the state of business, the way of government that NRA and the NRM promised, it has overtaken the control of the institutions, but not given the accountability and transparency, not the economic landscape or investment climate that they have promised for so long, the basics are much of the same and the deals between the oil companies and drilling has been happening behind closed doors; like not open dealings and showing how the companies pay for their operations and how the government structures are as the oil-laws are not strict and not fully operative yet.

The tear-gas operations and the live bullets are not showing the proof of democratic values and society. The internal security and the structures are not strong, when the army enters all kind of operations, as they even killed bed-bugs in neighborhoods of Kampala in mid-February as the KCCA didn’t have the manpower to reach the area, as the UPDF have been used in any kind of processes, even the training-center of the army Kyankwanzi the National Leadership Institute and military training camp; where the NRM MPs has had retreats before the new parliament like the 9^th and 10^th Parliament went there.

The Kyankwanzi resolutions or decrees as party MPs has set precedence for the coming term and the evolution of the ruling-party as the structure in the last go-around left many of the old-foes behind, and the former secretary-general and Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi behind. While this time the struggles with Justine Kasule-Lumumba, Jacob Oulanyah and Rebecca Kadaga might go through hardships in the coming 10^th Parliament as the internal security means the security of the Executive and bring down the men and woman who has ambitions. That is why the Executive have centered the powers close to him. As even ambassador’s claims he is hard to read, the generals of UPDF fear him and just want to do his will, and the same with the police force who has a loyal Inspector General who follows every whiff from him. Even former Warlords and M23 are yearly on the payroll from the State House. As they are securing the security of the state and the government institution as civilian militia-men that does their army bidding; also does discreet business for the Executive as their role have never been told to the world. Therefore we can only be guessing at this point; though they are not cutting the grass at Entebbe or Nakasero!

The way the Army is embedded in the society and external politics, the guerrilla warfare brought the Executive first to a Ministerial Position before the General Election of 1980 and again at the takeover in 1986. He came with the gun and never left it, and never let it go, in all endeavors and structures the embedded army has followed, the loyal cadres and commando have continued, the re-payment of loyalty and offered protection have come in handy. The kickbacks and graft never left the offices, the building of the businesses have also centered the government officials, while the former government businesses has been sold for quick bucks or privatized.

The internal security can be questioned with the army running the streets in Kasese, Kapchorwa and Kampala as a steady force and looking like Marshall Law or state of emergency as the government shows the display of power, and the Police rides around in Personal Armored Carrier and have mortars as Journalist lose their cameras and the media get muffled with. The insecurity created and the ballots been stolen in broad daylight, the impunity of law of fellow citizens is not creating the peaceful atmosphere the Executive have promised and said he delivered, as the Kenyan funding of the campaign and Sudanese Army men proves the Executive went far to secure his stay in power, instead of trusting the ballots and votes, he trusted his instinct and went for the guns and ammunition that have given him the power before, as he had loyal well-paid puppets in the Electoral Commission and generals in the Campaign Team, together with losing NRM Primaries who was paid off; in his mind this should have gone in silence and gotten the credible result needed to be respected statesman abroad, instead the announcement and the cracks of the army and the social media showed the true colors and not the story given by the Executive or his party cadres, which shows the payments and party program is shell of keeping power by any means, instead of building fruitful societies and institutions for better tomorrow. The lies are not invisible anymore, the questions the actions and killings is not only in the hands of semi-army police force and the general populations knows it. As the mourning of the announcement and the weakness of the state comes forward; therefore army had to be deployed and the reshuffling of Police Commanders happening a month after Election Day.

You can lie once and fool the crowd, but lie twice and then the storm comes on the horizon. That is what is happening now and the Executive knows and knew before these elections that the people are tired of his lies and reprogrammed pledges. As the changes of society has only brought bottled water from mountains of the Rwenzori and cellphones, certainty at one point the Universal Primary Education and extended Local Councils that has benefited, but also after a while the schools started to disappear and become depleted. The more districts, sub-counties and counties have taken a toll on the economy. Also been set-up to secure more loyal cadres in Parliament and locally. Through the chain-of-command as the structure is militarized and set to fix the monies, the government institutions, government businesses, government organizations and the commission to be loyal to the Executive, even the churches and holy institutions, if possible they can have some dissidents and opposition; that is just enough for the country to have a rouse and jolly while eating the donor-funding and letting the people stay poor while the NRM-Elite stays powerful. Especially the NRM and the Executive does not care about the FDC and their claims to justice, as the justice is the basics, but for the NRM it is to keep Power and let their Executive stay continuously. And by the minute does not seem to want to leave the country in a state that he promised when he took power.

As his guns does not seem to be silenced, the level of fear, the way the PAV rides down the streets and highways, the way the roadblocks are put, the way the Police detain without charges and the way the government mend laws to fit the Executive, the way the banks are demonstrating their will of following him to earn monies, the way the businesses are centered around him and given favorable deals, the way the harassment of opposition and media, the way the army and police involve in politics and daily life, it does not seem as a democratic and just society. The detention of the ballots and preventative arrest of citizens are worrying, as much as the control and efficiency of it. The pride of the government and its institutions are weak when the KCCA need the Army to fight local problems, the Executive does not trust anything else and therefore the biggest smiles on the photos from him comes in army fatigue and guns as that is the place he feels the best, not in the office or at state meeting. If not it is on his farm relaxing while the monies are piling in without doing anything. Peace.

FDC – Press Statement: Democracy on Trial – The Results of the Presidential Elections must be rejected (20.02.2016)

CEON U – Prelimenary Statement on 2016 General Elections (19.02.2016)

FDC Supporters detained at Wandegya Police Station and sent to Luzira; The Calvary shows loyalty to NRM on the final day before the Polls!

Police are rounding up our supporters in Kampala at Wandegeya Police Station and taken straight to court and jailed. I only see Hon Nabilah Nagayi Sempala fighting for their freedom but not us. We need to amplify this. Those are voters and police will lock many to deny them chance to vote!

Hon. Nagayi Sempala written this:

“Happening now at Kagugube Court near LDC! Our FDC youth who are being rounded up are being taken to Luzira! The military and police are coordinating this! Let’s fight on! The intention is to intimidate, frustrate and break the people’s resolve to fight for democracy tomorrow”.

This here is election-rigging at it’s finest. Rounding up and spreading fear for affiliation with the wrong political party; getting detained for beeing political in the wrong party. If the NRM call this a peaceful election they are lying to the world as they are not giving peace to anybody else then themselves; as the FDC supporters getting jailed 24 hours before the polls begins. That is just a BITCH move from the NRM-Regime and their Police Force! As this can’t not be addressed and be shunned. All the Election Observation Missions and the International presens does not stop the disregard for other political stances then standing by the side of President Museveni. As this Young people who! Peace.

NRM uses old tricks in Lira and Gulu; As they uses Government funds to fulfill old pledges

A old man with a hat uses old tricks. He has done it before and does it again. Here is proof! Furfilling old pledges in the last minute to win over votes, and use government funds to gain support. Here is the proof of it and the love is a bit late. The government should have been able to do so in 2011 or 2012 if it had mattered to President Museveni, but now he needs votes. So then he can give a bottle of wine and expect people to dine at his feast. Hope that the people of Lira can see through the arrogance of it; And the accountability of the state it is not, as the government funds are splashed for services the day before the rally of President Museveni. You can easilly read through the motive for the gift to the Lira Distric Local Government to constuct and fulfill the pledge of 2011.

Museveni Pledge of 2011 all of a sudden fixed: 

“Lira district local government has received 400 million Shillings from the central government to facilitate the first phase of the construction of the Akii-Bua Memorial Stadium. The money is a partial fulfillment of a pledge made President Yoweri Museveni in 2011 for a stadium built in memory of the late John Akii-Bua, Uganda’s first Olympic champion” (Metro FM 90.8, 13.02.2016).

Museveni pledge funds to Gulu:

“NRM Presidential Candidate Yoweri Museveni is expected to commission a 3.1 Km road within Gulu Municipality this afternoon. Works on the road funded by World Bank at a tune of Shs 16 billion started in November 2014″ (Daily Monitor, 14.02.2016).

As he did during the 2011 election:

“The main concern regarding the campaign, and indeed regarding the overall character of the election, was the lack of a level playing field, the use of money and abuse of incumbency in the process. The magnitude of resources that was deployed by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), its huge level of funding and overwhelming advantage of incumbency, once again, challenged the notion of a level playing field in the entire process. Media monitoring reports also indicated that the ruling party enjoyed a large advantage in coverage by state-owned radio and TV. The ruling party in Uganda is by far the largest and best-resourced party and following many years in power, elements of the state structure are synonymous with the party. Further, reports regarding the “commercialisation of politics” by the distribution of vast amounts of money and gifts were most disturbing. Indeed, the „money factor‟ and widespread allegations of bribery and other more subtle forms of buying allegiance were key features of the political campaign by some, if not all, the parties. By all accounts, the 2011 elections were Uganda‟s most expensive ever. It is therefore important that for the future serious thought be given to election campaign financing and political party fundraising. This is more so given that there are virtually no checks on the levels of campaign financing and expenditure due to the cash-based nature of the campaign and the lack of stringent campaign financing regulations, both of which facilitate the use of illicit payments to voters as inducements and has the potential to undermine their free will” (Commonwealth Observers Group, 2011).

I think this proofs it and also how the NRM uses old tricks in the last part of the Pre-Election period. They have already used the UPDF and paying to get crowds. So soon Hon. Sam Kutesa or Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda giving directly out money is the missing piece today. The ignorance and thinking that nobody questioning the actions of the ruling is weird, but that is because the New Vision and other media will not question it; Instead spray it in nice words as a fulfilling moment of glory for the NRM. Something it is not; as it is a moment where they use government funds as bait to suck in the local men and woman. Who deserve accountability and transparency from the Central Government and for both Gule District Local Government and Lira District Local Government. Peace.

Reference:

Commonwealth Observer Group – ‘UGANDA PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS’ (24.02.2011)

The Calvary get’s Anti-Riot gear and vehicles right in time for the General Election; as promised in the Post-Election budget; the Calvary is getting ready to oppress the people; this as the Kenyan media addressed the arrival of APC’s at the Port of Mombasa

There been reports of the new equipment arrived just before the General Election, the Police was expected this. I will come with quotes that tell what is expected if the Uganda Police Force follows it and get the equipment that was budgeted for, Take a look!!

First Allocation to the General Election: 

“30% Payment for 113 operational vehicles and 40 specialized vehicles for policing the 2016 general elections under a 4year credit financing facility with effect from FY 2014/15 made” (…)”35% payment towards the supplied 2 twin engine helicopters made” (…)”Additional 112 Operational vehicles, 46 specialized vehicles and 1,900 motor cycles to support the management and provision of security for 2016 National General Elections procured” (Budget Framework Paper, P: 19).

The budget for vehicles is 62,539,322 UGX. For the helicopter engines are 9,641,658 UGX.  But the money is in the allocation in that part of the budget framework. We know that this part is not the main part that matters, but it still is money for it. There is more important what comes here!

Post-Election Police Budget:

“Policing the post 2016 general elections (Shs 51.1bn)” (…)”The experience is that after elections there is always a spate of violence which normally takes a big chunk of police budget to contain. During that time, every police officer gets out of the barracks to the field to ensure law and order. The operational budget covers feeding, consumables, fuel, maintenance of vehicles & equipment, training and intelligence gathering. This requires additional budget of Shs 51.1bn” (Budget Framework Paper, P: 22).

So I am sure the cars seen on the docks in Mombasa in Kenya that are procured for the Ugandan Police Force, was used under the budget are for the Post-Election, because the 60M UGX is not getting the Police Force far. So it must be additional budget that they got; which is substantial allocation for buying equipment, vehicles and training. So I am sure a hunch of that went to the new expensive mambas and Armored Personnel Carrier (APC).

Kenyan media see the imported cars at Mombasa docks today:

“Uganda has imported armoured police cars, similar to those Kenya acquired at the end of January, ahead of its general election set for February 18. The vehicles have features including water cannons, riot controls and wedged front plows. The Star spotted them at G-section in the Port of Mombasa but Kenya Ports Authority officials declined to comment on the “sensitive” matter” (Elkana, 2016).

This here was to be expected, IGP Kale Kayihura wants to make the bloody mess of “Walk to Work” again, and has put money where his mouth is. Or the expensive big-man security vehicles that has the capacity to shut down demonstrations. They will continue to oppress the public in the name of the National Resistance Movement, and his boss Mzee! As he speaks of violence and expected that he needs big guns to shut down opposition as he has done in the past. This here is just a manifestation of it.

I think you catch my drift and assessment of the actions of the police. As they are following blindly the orders of Mzee, something else IGP Kayihura recently said, he speaks peace right now as long the election observation monitoring (EOM) are in the country. So that when they leave: he will go full-front against the opposition as he and his crew in the Police has done so much in the past.  So I have hard time believe the peace rhetoric of Kayihura, it’s kind of hard to believe from him and his loyal cronies. Before I go to deep, I stop here. Peace.

Reference:

Budget Framework Paper – Justice, Law and Order, – Vote 144: Uganda Police Force – Paper overview for voting in allocation for Budget 2015/16.

Elkana, Jacob – ‘Uganda imports armoured police cars ahead of February 18 general election’ (04.02.2016) link: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/02/04/uganda-imports-armoured-police-cars-ahead-of-february-18-general_c1288972

The adventures towards the polls 18th February; how the last days might go

We are in time and days where the government will be questioned for all their actions and all their misbehaviour towards its citizens. Not anymore that it is some foreign NGOs who complain first, no it’s public and opposition that discuss it in viral formats online. That makes the government and its regime look weak since they can’t spin those stories.

It is truly special times in the Pearl of Africa, voter tourism will be the new word of 2016 unless Mun G or Radio & Weasel makes up a new word for catching babes in Kabalagala. Until then remember the magic word of VOTER TOURISM. If you don’t know what that is about, that is about Mzee, the ruling president of 30 years who wants to have big crowds, but not pulling them. So to get that he pays attendance, gives them food and t-shirts, pay for rental of buses and get them to the campaign venues. Just like certain corporations does with foreigners when they travel in packs to National Parks to see the wild animals, they get that while the local public get to hear the recycled pledges of the old man with the hat. And for a free t-shirt, food and transport, it might be worth it, to listen to the old man for two hours… and that ladies and gentleman is Voter Tourism. Ferrying of voters and ferrying of crowds. A beautiful industry co-owned and run by the ruling NRM Campaign machine and Mike Sebalu. He must be so proud.

Other activity that doesn’t stop during these elections times is either the blatant attack on media and journalist. Like throwing cameras, shooting them, banishing them, getting them to delete pictures and get media houses to shun campaigns or campaign trails. The NRM have been vocal against radio stations for hosting Dr. Kizza Besigye and Mbabazi have seen their issues with Radio stations. NTV has also had issues early for not showing favourable pictures from the campaign. They we’re even detained together with Daily Monitor at some point. Now the barrier has been broken and the NTV cannot follow the campaign trail of Mzee anymore. Also if Mbabazi is at a radio stations like in Karamoja he couldn’t attend the radio station, other places they have shut of the transmitter after the airing of Mbabazi. The media and journalist have had hard treatment and been costly to follow the campaign trail, with the ones being in the middle of melee like the journalist covering the first planned campaign rally for Erias Lukwago in Kampala was actually shot, but not killed. There been violence in Northern region against Mbabazi and Besigye convoys as they have also hit against media. I assume that this will not stop without a big bang, like the Ntungamo clashes. It has be in those levels if there will be a total shut down.

Well, when we speak of violence we do not speak about specialized in failure like Arsene Wenger, sorry, I am not supposed to speak about football, and the man who said that was sacked for the second time in that club, so Mourinho is really the special one or the sacked one. Let me get back on the campaign trail. Violence isn’t coming from one man or one party. It usual contributed to the acts of the Police who interfere as NRM Police force, and not a political partisan unit, that was even seen in the primaries in Northern Region where fully uniformed police officer voted. So there traits are there and the IGP Kayihura was on second delegates conference in Kololo to vote for Mzee sole candidacy project, as he does, he just follows orders.

The violence of Ntungamo is the epitome of the violence during the campaign trail. There been violence pre-campaign trail when the opposition tried to hold meetings and get delegates to come forward as the police couldn’t accept this. They went fully fledge armoured with tear-gas and guns against people with not even a blade. As they we’re petty criminals instead of bank-thieves. The irony of that is that certain Police has during the campaign trail actually robbed a bank and is now jailed by the government. So there been actions from certain police and police interference into politics. Just like before the presidential campaign trail when IGP Kayihura told the world about the journalistic integrity, this was before his men was undressing opposition woman on the way to Rukungiri. Well, the Police have interfered though silent before Papal visit. It was so scary peace, a unusual peace. Now that the Pope is only sharing the #VoteSevo poster on some roundabouts around in the country; the police have after he left started with ordinary actions towards anybody else then NRM. We can see that they jails people for talking about partial voting, human rights activist for talking about human rights in up-country, detain people for pinning over NRM posters, while the Police help pinning up NRM posters, the police tear-gas late venues, they shut down hospitals for opposition leaders to see, the schools guarded, so guarded that the police stations or post are empty when the Mbabazi or Besigye is in the area. The proud police is busy containing the elements of opposition and even majors are shutting down opposition office in districts! The Police and army are busy being loyal to the NRM-Regime.

While this is happening the opposition have been busy at the #UGDebate16 while Mzee was moving his mouth and brain in the districts, because he couldn’t discuss his policies or be questioned by either TV moderator or fellow Presidential Candidate, that is because Mzee is Carte blanche from those events, even if it is the first of its kind in Uganda. That is why Mbabazi was sounding like NRM spokesman. Something that has continued ever since for some strange reason!

Mbabazi is curious pickle in the mix right now. He is neither nakati nor posho. He seems to want to be both at the same time. He can’t decide on the matter. Mbabazi is running as independent candidate with an independent mandate, in a independent party in a an independent coalition called the Democratic Coalition. The one coalition where Uganda People’s Congress went out off, and also Forum for Democratic Change went out of when Amama Mbabazi became their joint Presidential Candidate; the independent candidate Amama Mababazi; who still sees himself as part of NRM and as a NRM member is an independent presidential candidate. That is hard matrix of thought and also hard equation, even a PHD in math can’t get the numbers to be correct. There is a mix of check and balance that doesn’t add up. Mbabazi is political schizophrenic and can’t be both NRM and Opposition, though he struggles with that… Seems like he want to be friend of Mzee still, even if his friend Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda has taken over his place in NRM-Regime, that must be sad sight.

The other piece of hardships is the accidents of Go-Forward convoy, the deflections of his MPs and candidates, the little piece of men who turns over to him. The way it seems to many NRM moles in the Go-Forward camp, while he has been trying to capture big-fish from NRM without succeeding. Even if certain members leave in the villages there is many big-men and Woman MPs who has left his fold and regretting standing by him on nominations day. Something that hasn’t happen in the same fashion for Dr. Kizza Besigye during the campaign trail; the trying of fetching the NRM Primaries losers; who also was already MPs and Ministers proved to be meagre failure for the Go-Forward. So that he still get crowds and people behind him is good, but not in the extent of Besigye.

NRM have continued to trail and travel around the country. With their Voter Tourism, paying people to show up and using government institutions and facilities, also travel methods to show the beauty of their campaign. NRM have also used a fortune on the campaign compared to the opposition. The report that came in January showed the massive amount of war-chest that the President has. Hiring also and paying in towns that they didn’t have rallies so that the boda-boda drivers and other local’s transporters would be able to be used by Go-Forward or FDC in the area.

Fear-mongering rhetoric comes from the NRM-regime and their cronies, not only Mzee, but their spokesmen and loyal party officials. That is either Police or Secretary General, even members and former members, talking coup d’état or vote rigging. Even shooting and killing the opposition if they feel the election was stolen away from them. IGP Kayihura wanting to arm his Crime Preventers to secure the NRM-Regime, while one of the Generals says to the media that he will not turn down and give away power if they lose the elections. Proves that the fear they are spreading to the public is staggering. Mzee has told for long he is the only one who create and keep peace within the army and to the public, Mzee has said he still isn’t done with his project; the one is his been doing for 30 years. While this is doing so the Police and Electoral Commission will go after the FDC for using the Defiance, while the Police are detaining and blocking them from travelling on while they are campaigning. So it is some kind of justice happening, but only against opposition, while supporting NRM. Who knew?

NRM has been campaigning under the #VoteSevo or #SteadyProgress, while the Opposition has gone after this ones at every turn, especially when showing the schools and other government institutions who has deteriorating during his three decade tenure. Like Aswa bridges and Abim Hospital, that has been the epitome of the neglect of the government to serve the people. While NRM have come with the same pledges and same kind of attitude as they have done in two last campaigns. So people are tired of it, even in the place called Isigniro the people was so tired that they left in the middle of the speech of Mzee, that must hurt him, the ones left behind was crime preventers and paid crowd, the locals left the venue when they heard enough of the same kind of empty promises. As the rest of public is, not everybody, but a big bunch seems to be; since the crowds for Besigye isn’t going down and Mbabazi get decent crowds, and the two other ones doesn’t pay them to attend or use the tool called: Voter Tourism.

The initial scare is the coming rigging and the partiality of the Electoral Commission as the chief got a heavy pay check to stay as boss. Loyalty pays when it comes to Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu. He has gotten ballot-papers from South Africa, biometric-machines and promised to have enough people to make impartial voting process happen. As well as COMESA and the EU have sent monitors, the Commonwealth was monitoring the last election, not that; that made a difference. It was more we can now show after the rigging that the election was filled with malfunctions during counting, fraud and also buying voters as they did in the General Election 2011. Why should not Mzee use the same tricks now? If the NRM Primaries are a story of what can come then there will be a “Circus” as Kahinda Otafiire said then. As the pre-ticked ballots, stuffed ballot-boxes, MPs and winners in prison while the results coming, as the candidates comes into the tally offices and takes the register and the ballot-papers. This happen so that the NRM-EC couldn’t validate the result from the area. They we’re also using security officers by the polling station to make the voters afraid and scare them to vote for their candidate, so democratic of those NRM big-men who used this tactic.

While the reports of further deployment of troops in Kampala of 5000 soldiers to secure the peace of the election, or to shut down if the people reacted to the result and claim the rigging for the NRM-Regime, as they have done before, last time was in 2011. Something they want to be sure about. The General Katumba Wamala has said that the army will take control if the people are not accepting the result; I know I am paraphrasing, but that is initially what he meant. It is similar to the NRM-Regimes scary rhetoric, but he got the guns to blast Kampala into oblivion.

There rumours of more ballot-papers coming in the once who came to Entebbe on 28th January 2016, there rumoured that their will come a second batch ballot-papers from the Island state of Seychelles or Mauritius on the 4th February, to deliver and be able to pre-ticket them before arriving in Uganda, to secure the NRM and their men their seats in Parliament. We would not be surprised if this would happen, they have done something like this before.

The next days will be more police around the opposition rallies, they will block the people and be rowdy as the tension and fear of losing grips will take its toll on the police. While the NRM will portray the perfect picture and look beautiful towards the Election Observation Missions from COMESA and EU, while they will do the opposite to the opposition. Tear-gas venues, block venues, stop processions in towns, stop pinning up poster or detaining people for pinning posters or affiliated with the opposition. We will see more radios losing their transmitters, TV stations taking down content questioning the regime as the NBS Sunset did recently questioning the IGP Kayihura, TV-Stations being banished from the NRM or talked about in a vicious way. TV-Stations will either lose their licences or transmitter for having Mbabazi or Besigye, even if they have messages that are negative on the governance levels of NRM. If the NRM-Regime could they would have shut me down… but that is another story.

We will see coming and coming general election that will be questionable, the cringes to power… they will not let it go easy, President Museveni feels he owns the people and the country, even if the people doesn’t feel the same, as seen in Kiruhura district yesterday, his home area was totally blue and no people ferried there. As the FDC doesn’t have the budget of NRM or War-chest of the long-serving president. That will continue until the people goes to the polls. People will try to be bought before going into the voting booth, villages will be visited by NRM millionaires and billionaires who will lose their wealth if the NRM loses their power; so the way to keep their riches is to pay the locals to vote for NRM candidates and sole candidate Mzee. We will see and hear about giving goats, cows and gasoline to boda-boda drivers, as they will give away soap and other merchandize in town-centres from Tororo to Lira. We just know they will go to any measure to secure the power yet again.

So if there will be some other stories then the ones I accessing is because the Orwellian monster will not turn overnight, especially when they have built the King Kong monster over 30 years. So it is a giant who makes the Presidential Palace at Nakasero and Entebbe Statehouse wealth looks tiny. We can’t expect anything else, therefore FDC have to continue with defiance, and the opposition have to stay strong, because the Police have already funds for the post-election violence, and the UPDF is starting to prepare their security of the NRM-regime force of keeping power. So there is little to see unless the people goes back instead of reacting and then goes back to the villages to feed their families. We can hope for something else, but the fear to lose life for the power and seeing how it has turned; an also become after the people demonstrated in 201 P1. So there will be issues in the coming days and the police will show its flex and the army is starting deployment. This here  is not looking positive with the knowledge how this regime is keeping power and wanting to reign as long as possible.Peace.

Press Release: The European Union Election Observation Mission for the 18th February General Elections has begun its activities (08.01.2016)