EDITOR
Gilbert Katushabe Park, commonly known as “Orutindo Rwa Nyamweru” and the former National Unity Platform (NUP) aspirant for the Nyamweru LC3 Chairperson seat in Rubanda County East, has accused security agencies particularly the military of actively participating in voter manipulation and ballot stuffing during Wednesday’s local council elections.
Katushabe made the allegations during a press conference at Joweris Hotel in Makanga, Kabale Municipality, following reports of chaotic scenes at several polling stations in Nyamweru Sub-county. He claimed that voters and party agents clashed with uniformed security personnel both inside and outside polling centres.
According to Katushabe, security officers were complicit in pre-ticking ballot papers in favor of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, David Karindugu. He argued that the heavy deployment of armed personnel undermined the integrity of the electoral process and denied his supporters a fair and level playing ground.
“The election period was marked by intimidation, arrests of my agents and supporters, and incidents of violence that left some individuals injured while others remain unaccounted for,” Katushabe said. He described the voting process as “militarised,” citing reports of shootings at certain polling stations that allegedly forced several of his agents to flee without signing Declaration of Results (DR) forms, while others were reportedly compelled by security personnel to hand over the forms.
He further claimed that many of his supporters were unable to vote due to fear arising from the security presence and intimidation. Katushabe also alleged discrepancies between the DR forms in his possession and those read at the tally centre.
In addition, he accused unnamed government officials of engaging in voter bribery and supporting electoral irregularities. He criticized the Electoral Commission (EC) for allegedly refusing to provide him with a DR form after announcing the winner, emphasizing that his intention was not to reject defeat but to verify the official results.
Katushabe said he has gathered what he described as substantial evidence and intends to seek legal redress in court. Among the evidence cited, he claimed his agents and supporters confiscated over 500 pre-ticked ballot papers allegedly favoring his opponent. He also reiterated allegations that security personnel backed electoral officials in validating questionable ballots when Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) reportedly failed to authenticate some documents.
He expressed concern over what he described as the longstanding harsh treatment of opposition supporters by security forces, arguing that opposition parties continue to face limited political space in Uganda.
By press time, the Electoral Commission, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and the accused government officials had not issued an official response to the allegations.
