The Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) has urged Ugandans and other dignitaries to shun President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing in ceremony slated for May this year.
Museveni will officially be sworn in on 12th May 2021 at Kololo Independence Grounds.
“UYD calls upon the dignitaries that are planning to grace the shameful occasion when a vote thief will anoint himself to continue his reign of misrule, not to waste their time by coming to the so called swearing in ceremony. There coming will be an insult to the democracy seeking people of Uganda and a dishonor to their people who expect them not to dignify an illegitimate ceremony,” they said in a statement.
On Thursday 14th January, 2021, the Electoral Commission conducted presidential elections where Ugandans exercised their constitutional rights of choosing a president who will lead them through a five year term. Uganda has a total 18,103,603 registered voters and 34,684 polling stations however only 10,350,819 people turned up to vote.
The presidential election which comprised 11 candidates was won by President Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta who got 6,042,898 (58.38%). His closest opponent Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu got 3,631,437 votes (35.08%).
They contended that the quality of 2021 campaigns and elections were severely diluted by gross abuses of human rights and breaches of elections laws.
“To date hundreds of Ugandans are languishing in jail, others have been kidnaped, tortured and disappeared on account of their political beliefs. More than 60 Ugandans have been killed by security forces. The government has failed or adamantly refused to hold and account the perpetrators of violence, abuse of human rights,” they said.
They said that the electoral commission disclosed that at least 1200 polling stations were not counted because the commission claimed it had a 48-hour period to report a result and could not obtain such information in time from these polling stations. This included stations that were in Kampala metropolitan and other communities whose opposition was stronger and this led to 75% of the returns that were not counted.
The electoral commission’s final report on the outcome of the election demonstrates openly that in multiple districts the vote was listed as 100% for Museveni. In 348 polling stations the vote was 100% for Museveni while in hundreds of other stations; equally impossible voting returns of 99% and 98% were commonplace. “This is a trick which Mr. Museveni since 1995 not to embrace democracy but to undermine democracy but as Uganda Young Democrats we are here to say that “losers don’t swear in”.
“The Ugandan economy is suffering because of selfish interests of president Museveni, a case in point let’s see how the stimulus package was divided among friends, brothers, in-laws among others in disguise of bailing out companies which suffered from Covid-19.”
Last month, the government approved Shs 444 billion to bail out companies affected by Covid-19. Shs 162 billion were disbursed to projects outside the Kampala metropolitan region
UYD avers that President Museveni through state minister of finance David Bahati decided to share money between Brothers, friends and in-laws and this is how the share went; Kasawo Grain Millers (Shs 10.3Billion), Jesa Farm Dairy LTD (15.3 Billion), Aponye (Shs 5 Billion), Akamwesi (Shs 795Million).
