By KT Reporte
Hours after the official gazette was published for the Kawempe North by-election results, the Electoral Commission (EC) has convened a meeting to align its position and communication regarding the discrepancies between the declared and gazetted results.
The development was confirmed by the Commission’s spokesperson, Julius Mucunguzi, who told URN that the Commission was in discussions and would soon issue an official statement on the matter.
“Regarding the discrepancies in numbers, the Commission will come out with an official position. The Commission is currently meeting, and they will provide guidance on the matter. I do not want tosecond-guess it,” Mucunguzi stated.
On Monday, the media was flooded with reactions following the publication of the gazetted results. Officials from the National Unity Platform (NUP) and their candidate celebrated, arguing that the delay in gazetting the results had prolonged the swearing-in of their candidate as the new Kawempe North MP.
However, beyond the official gazette, discrepancies emerged between the figures declared by the returning officer after the March 13 polls and those published in the gazette, even though the winner remained unchanged.
The variations in vote counts have sparked debate among voters, candidates, and political players. Some of the most significant changes included a decrease of 175 votes for NUP candidate Elias Nalukoola, from 17,939 in the initial declaration to 17,764 in the final gazetted results. NRM candidate Faridah Nambi gained 465 votes, increasing from 8,593 to 9,058.
Hanifah Karadi Mulerwa’s tally dropped by 92 votes, from 381 to 289. Sadat Mukibi gained four votes, increasing from 239 to 243, while Mutazindwa Muhamood’s count rose from 186 to 188. Other candidates experienced minor variations or no changes at all.
Before the gazette was published, opposition politicians, particularly from NUP, had accused the EC of delaying the process, preventing their candidate from being sworn in. The delay also became a subject of debate in Parliament last week.
Earlier, an EC official, who preferred anonymity, attributed the discrepancies to the legal provisions outlined in Section 58 of the Parliamentary Elections Act. The law grants returning officers up to seven days after the initial declaration to compile a comprehensive report, ensuring accuracy before finalizing the results. The official explained that such adjustments are “standard practice” and often result from errors in tallying, misplaced votes, or missing polling station results.
The Parliamentary Elections Act mandates that once results are compiled, the returning officer must transmit essential documents, including the return form, tally sheets, and declaration of results forms, to the Commission. Additionally, in cases where a recount is requested under Section 55, the transmission of results is delayed until a court certifies the recount outcome.
The official maintained that while minor variations in vote tallies may occur, they do not indicate malpractice but rather reflect an upright process designed to uphold electoral integrity.
The Kawempe North by-election was held following the death of the area MP, Muhammad Ssegirinya. However, the election was marred by controversy, including the heavy deployment of armed forces and equipment, as well as reports of harassment, beatings, and arrests of journalists and other individuals. While the National Unity Platform (NUP) blamed the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government for the chaos, President Museveni and other NRM officials, including ministers, accused opposition supporters of fueling the violence witnessed in the area-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
