Sunday 6 March 2016

The February 18 2016 general elections in Uganda are long gone but the repercussions are only beginning to be felt. At national level,one of the aggrieved contenders and looser of the presidential poll former Premier Amama Mbabazi has petitioned the supreme court as provided for under article 104 of the 1995 constitution of Uganda calling for the election which returned incumbent Yoweri Museveni as victor, to be cancelled on 28 grounds.The petitioner accuses first respondent of intimidating his supporters and taking undue advantage by using state facilities while the electoral commission is accused of failing to deliver voting materials on time and retiring the right voter's register which disenfranchising many voters. The President has been served the petition as first respondent with the Electoral Commission and Attorney general as 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively. Here in Rwenzori region, at least 12 people mainly women and children have been killed in post election related communal violence in Bundibugyo after supporters of rival district LC chairperson candidates embarked on hate speech and witch hunt of supporters of rival candidates. Most of the victims were attacked at night while they slept and their houses set on fire. Trouble broke out after early returns indicated that incumbent district Local council chairperson Jolly Tibemanya was leading and his supporters took to the streets to celebrate their candidate success. The electoral commission district returning officer Daniel Nayebare later after getting the results of the last 3 polling stations announced the flag bearer Mutegeki as winner which Tibemanya supporters could not comprehend and thought they has been robbed of their victory. Exactly One day after elections on 25th February 2016, hell broke loose with some aggrieved people while wielding machetes and other weapons descending of their own neighbors whom they believed to have been supporting rival candidates bludgeoning them to death while others were shot, others were hacked with machetes and knives. The killings were reminiscent of the Rwanda genocide of 1994. Some of the victims are Karungi and her 5 year old daughter and Muhindo and health worker among others. The communal violence occurred in Busaaru subcounty. Speaking in an interview after the murderous incidents, the Outgoing LCV chairman Tibemanya denied that the communal violence was as a result of the elections but rather tribal.Tibemanya says he won't even challenge the results in court for fear of causing more tension among the people of Bundibugyo who are mainly Bamba/Babwisi and Bakhonzo The restive areas on the foothills of Rwenzori have only recovered from the July 2014 violence which saw a gang of people's militia do a daring attack on government military installations at kanyamwirima in which an estimated 100 people were killed by the military.

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