YOU NEED TO BE AN ‘EDUCATED’ IDIOT TO BELIEVE THAT CANDIDATE MUSEVENI CAN GET 71% IN A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION IN FEB. 2016

I many times wonder whether some people imagine that we have to digest whatever rubbish they come out with as if we do not have the slightest common sense, as if we wasted time going to school that they are at liberty to feed is with any trash simply because they believe Museveni has to be at the whelm in Uganda whether people are fed up or not.

You need to be a big fool if not an idiot who is ‘educated’ to believe that at this moment in time, candidate Museveni can get even 60% in the polls.  Yes, we have many who have not gone to school, but surely, many are not that much of fools not to see how things are mismanaged.  Those in –charge may be at liberty to take us through a pre-determined poll, but they should know, they are fooling themselves.  Majority of Ugandans see that the economy is in a big mess.  Many are turned beggars, many are losing their land to thieves who loot the national coffers and turn round to buy villages.  Now majority know how the Government of Museveni is mismanaging their tax payer resources only to leave them this dysfunctional schools, hospitals and health facilities, many roads are impassable, and the few that have been worked on, have commission agents who have eaten into the cost and it is that idiot of a Ugandan who is ready to pay even more by granting another 5 years to Museveni, but the truth is that such people cannot make up 71% of the electorate, may they could in a stolen poll.  This is possible if:

1.      Gadgets used have pre-determined manipulation favouring Museveni;

2.      People  are threatened by the crime preventers and other security operatives;

3.      If the voter verification exercise ends up dis-favouring some people and or collapsing completely in the process.

You then wonder why countries like Uganda waste resources to finance elections which are manipulated to favour those in the seat, and eventually end up a potential time bomb for instability.

Donors, EC disagree over results gadgets

Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/Donors--EC-disagree-over-results-gadgets/-/859108/3047680/-/15k8p5v/-/index.html

 The Electoral Commission says they have already procured results transmission kits for the February 18 polls despite a major co-sponsor for the project denying the commission funding.
The Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), which had earlier committed to support half of the Shs 9 billion procuring of Electronic Results Transmission and Dissemination System (ERTDS), pulled out citing irregularities in the procurement process of the project.

“Government of Uganda fully funds our budget. However, if a development partner decides to supplement government and provides the Electoral Commission support, it’s always welcome. What I want to confirm is that EC has already procured ERTDS,” EC spokesman Jotham Taremwa said in an interview with Daily Monitor.

In an interview with Uganda Radio Network (URN), Mads Mayerhofer, the chairperson of DGF’s Steering Committee, said their decision was prompted by EC’s cancelling of the contract that had been awarded to Cytel in favour of Avante, under suspicious circumstances.

“After careful consideration, DGF decided that the last-minute decision to change provider raised concern as to the transparency of the procurement process as well as the timely implementation of the ERTDS itself,” Ms Mayerhofer told URN.

RESPONSES I GOT FROM KAJJANSI TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS OVER THE CCCC TRUCKS LEFT ME IN DISBELIEF.

On Sunday, January 24, 2016, I called at Kajjansi Police Station to see the officer in-charge of Traffic Police with the purpose of seeing the Officer in-charge over the CCCC trucks which work on Entebbe Expressway that are in dangerous mechanical condition (DMC).  Unfortunately, the officer I found in office told me that the boss was away and it was best that I talked to him over the issues.

I returned to the Station a few hours after.  There were a number of officers in office.  I told them that I was concerned that a number of CCCC trucks did not have number plates; some do not even have one.  To this, the response I got was that these vehicles have a number written on the front, in case of any accident, that number can be quoted!

The second issue I raised was that some of the trucks do not have head lamps, and I wondered how they could leave these given that head lamps are used by drivers at times as consent in giving way to other drivers.  It is also true that these trucks are seen on the road after 6.00 pm.  The response I got is that the trucks found after 6.00 pm are intercepted by police and are not allowed to move on.

The third concern I raise is that there is a route these trucks use connecting what is locally known as Muchange trading centre to Entebbe Highway.  The section near to the highway is so narrow that if a truck got off, the damage it is capable of causing including deaths may be great.  The response I got from the officers is that I got to the LC1 chairman, request for a letter showing the seriousness of this matter and that alternative route proposed!

The responses made my day.  They were proof that the traffic police is impotent as regards the operation of the CCCC in Uganda, and on many occasions, it was clear that the Police have to beg the Engineer in – charge over any issues to do with CCCC trucks!   

    

WE MUST NOT MAKE LEGISLATION LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY AN ASPIRING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CAN USE

Contesting for presidency should not be equated to contesting for LC1 chair or even a Parliamentary seat.  A serious contender for president must have the resources and that is why normally one should be sponsored by a political party.  What is most unfortunate in the Ugandan situation is when you have an incumbent with the ability to get resources from the consolidated fund and divert the same to his campaign.  It is this practice that should be countered.

Given the current situation, a part from candidate Museveni, the electorate seem to show that they know Dr. Kizza Besigye more than other candidates.  The reasons among others being:

1.      He is contesting the 4^th time for president 92001, 2006, 2011 & 2016), so people are used to him, yet he has been spending money all along to have reached the people;

2.      There is sympathy that his votes have in the past been stolen, may be at one time he had won given the allegations;

3.      He has sympathy of the voters given the way they have seen the state persecute and torture him;

4.      He has given the voters the impression over time that he is an army man who can potentially take on the roles after Museveni given his abilities as army man.

In the circumstances, some people want to come up with a law that can limit the ability of a potential presidential candidate to make his manifesto/good intentions known.  This will be wrong.

I had wanted to stand for president of Uganda in 2016, though forces beyond have made it impossible for me.  I took time to make a budget which could facilitate me to put up a worthy show against the incumbent, and this was Ushs 60bn. 

Justification for the money.

Just imagine the cost of vehicles a candidate may need to operate in 112 districts of Uganda.  If one can raise the resources, he could have as many as a vehicle per district.  The vehicles need fuel as well as repairs and maintenance for the whole duration till after the election.

To get the voters to know a candidate requires advertisements.  What is wrong with raising say shs 5bn for the purpose or more?

A presidential candidate is expected to have a secretariat, and to this, may add branch offices in the country side, and these could run for a year, how much can you budget for this item so that you put a limit?

Posters are a necessity in each election, and these may be considered at the same time with bill boards.  If one is to put 100 posters in each of the 57,000 villages in Uganda each costing shs 600, one would need at least shs 3,420,000,000.

On the polling day, given the 28,000 polling stations throughout Uganda, a candidate may consider about 2 representatives per polling station.  If he budget’s a minimal of shs 50,000 for each to cover eats, transport and allowance for the day, this comes up to shs 2,800,000,000.

There must be a budget for legal services given the cost of mitigation in the cases that may arise before and immediately after the election.

There must also be a budget for treatment.  More often than not, supporters get involved in accidents, and there is need to have funds to treat them as well as contributing to burial in case of death of immediate campaigners.

Before a flag bearer is chosen, there is a process each political party has to go through until it gets the delegates who choose the candidate.  It is not logical to come up with a figure for such an arrangement.

Assuming some legislation is made regarding the ceiling to the amount of funds that can be used in a campaign how would a situation where supporters decide to get out of pocket funds and contribute say to printing posters, T-shirts, meeting the cost of airtime, buying fuel and any other?

My advice is simple, let us ensure that the incumbent does not put his fingers in the state coffers, but leave a candidate to fund-raise to manage the size of the budget he may have so that he is able to manage the campaign logistics.

POLLING IS NOT FAR AWAY. ARE YOU TO VOTE CHANGE?

MANY TRUCKS OF CCCC WORKING ON ENTEBBE EXPRESSWAY ARE IN BAD CONDITION

ATTENTION TO UNRA, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND THAT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS:

MANY CCCC TRUCKS WORKING ON ENTEBBE EXPRESSWAY ARE DMCs - SOME HAVE NO HEAD LIGHTS AT ALL, OTHERS NOT A SINGLE NUMBER PLATE, YET OTHERS LOOK TO BE IN BAD CONDITION BUT ARE ON THE ROAD.

CAN SOME ACTION BE TAKEN.  HOPE THEY ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW IN UGANDA.

1,291 GRADUATE TEACHERS FROM MAKERERE UNIVERSITY ARE TO BE JOB SEEKERS AS GOVERNMENT HAS NO PLACES FOR THEM!

With the private sector the biggest player in post primary education, it is no surprise that Government tells new graduate secondary school teachers that there are no jobs.  It is sad.

SITTING ON A TABLE AND AGREEING ON ONE OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MIGHT BE THE SOLUTION

THE WAY TO GO IS TO GET ONE JOINT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND HAVE THE OPPOSITION SUPPORT HIM.  SHORT OF THAT, WITH THE ROLE MONEY PLAYS IN UGANDA'S POLITICS, IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO DISLODGE THE MAN WHO HAS UNLIMITED RESOURCES AT HIS DISPOSAL.

The NRM presidential candidate, Yoweri Museveni has spent Shs27 billion on his 2016 campaigns in two months, 12 times more than his two closest challengers combined, according to results of a preliminary study about campaign financing released.

In the 16 districts reviewed, Mr Museveni spent Shs4.8b in November and Shs22.2b in December, 2015 representing 91.6 per cent of the 29.6b spent by all the candidates in total.

Independent presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi, who followed, in terms of spending, spent a total of Shs1.3b or 4.6 per cent in the same period. Dr Kizza Besigye, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate spent a total of Shs976m or 3.3 per cent. The other candidates, Dr Abed Bwanika, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, Ms Maureen Kyalya, Maj Gen Benon Biraro and Mr Joseph Mabirizi spent less than 1 per cent of the Shs29.6b combined. Prof Baryamureeba spent Shs95,732,000 while Abed Bwanika used Shs34,311,000 and Joseph Mabirizi Shs26,486,000. Maureen Kyalya used Shs5,692,500.