Kawempe South NRM LCV voters turn to door to door campaigns

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Voters in the Kawempe National Resistance Movement (NRM) LCV primary elections have taken on last minute door-to-door canvassing campaigns to persuade voters and sway the election outcomes on voting day today. 

Tyson Mutangana, a supporter of Juliet Mugisha, contesting for LCV woman councilor for Makerere University says there has not been enough sensitization and voter education for the NRM primaries which informs the slow turn up and voter ignorance about the election. He says door to door mobilization of voters may persuade voters to turn up, but also vote for the candidates in his camp. 

Baker Mutesasira, a supporter of Faustah Nakabuubi, contesting for LCV woman councilor for Makerere University says the voters have to be reminded of their civil rights, but also encourage them to come without fear of COVID -19 or violence and witness the voting exercise in the NRM party for the LCV elections in Kampala. “This is where it really makes a difference, the NRM electoral commission has not mobilized well and so the voters can do it for their candidates before the actual voting starts,” said Mutesasira. 

The turn up is raising although at most polling stations in Kikoni, Makerere, Bwaise and Kawempe it is mostly youth groups moving with candidates posters and ply cards while chanting their names and urging people to turn up and vote. The police have been deployed and at several polling centres voter verification in the NRM register is ongoing, voter sanitizing and polling centre demarcation has been done. 

Jane Kabawesa, Kawempe NRM elections officer says the voting will go on well. So far it is calm, but Derrick Muyanja, the NRM election supervisor for Muluka IV says the youth groups that are taking on door to door mobilization are delaying the NRM LCV primaries election process. The few voters who turn up are lured to join the moving chanting youth groups as the NRM election officials stay at the polling stations alone. 

Godwin Beinomugisha, a candidate contesting for the LCV councilor for Makerere University in the primaries says it is not allowed to campaign during Election Day, but the NRM election officials are simply looking on as people solicit for votes in homes. He says this will affect the out come of the election result today.

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