RDC tasked to explain selective enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in campaigns

Luweero, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | The Acting Luweero Resident District Commissioner Miriam Kagaiga Mugisha has been put to task to explain the selective enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines among persons campaigning for various political offices in the area. 

Many of the residents and aspirants say that the Office of the RDC and the area police are selectively enforcing the COVID-19 guidelines, especially during the ongoing NRM primaries. They say that while NRM aspirants for the District and Parliamentary seats are freely holding public rallies and processions, similar activities by the opposition are being stifled. 

John Isabirye, a resident of Kaliro Katono village told the RDC that recently Patricia Magara an NRM aspirant for Katikamu South held a rally that attracted over 300 people at his village but she was neither stopped nor arrested.

Kaddu Mukalazi, another resident tasked the RDC to explain the criteria used to allow NRM rallies, while blocking those organised by the opposition candidates. Mukalazi explained that recently NRM aspirants Cissy Mulondo and Zenar Nasur held rallies at Bubuubi village in disregard of COVID-19 guidelines but the Police, located a stone away, never apprehended them. 

The matters came up during a public dialogue organized by Community Development and Child Welfare Initiatives to discuss citizen participation in virtual campaigns at Nayiga hotel in Luwero town council on Wednesday. The dialogue was attended by aspirants and selected residents from Luweero.

During the same meeting, participants accused the RDC of publicly campaigning for NRM and stressed that she cannot be fair to all candidates. Erasto Kibirango, the Democratic Party Aspirant for the District chairman’s seat said that he has decided to conduct public rallies after observing that the Police and the RDC had failed to tame NRM aspirants.

Zenar Nasur, an NRM aspirant for the Luweero District Parliamentary seat told URN that some of the guidelines were not applicable. Nasur added that they can only adhere to the guidelines if campaigns are done jointly under the watch of Police.

Kagaiga however asked the participants to embrace electronic media to campaign saying it was the safest and most effective option to combat the spread of COVID-19. Kagaiga added that following the guidance from the Electoral Commission and President Yoweri Museveni, only campaigns of few people conducted under observance of Standard Operating Procedures will be allowed in the district.

But she also denied knowledge of aspirants breaching the guidelines and promised to invite all of them after nomination to agree on how to proceed with campaigns. However, she acknowledged that as a staunch supporter of the NRM Presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni, she did not find any problem if she openly campaigns for him.

John Ssegujja, the Executive Director of Community Development and Child Welfare Initiatives told the meeting that Luweero District Police Commander Abraham Tukundane had been invited to defend the force over the concerns but didn’t turn up. Ssegujja says that the district is likely to plunge into election violence because opposition supporters are disgruntled over the selective application.

While celebrating Eid-ul-Adha at Kasana mosque in Luweero town recently, Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa the Luweero District Kadhi also asked security agencies to be fair and enforce the directives equally.

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URN