By Joachim Ssembuze
Unlike other elective positions that have been shared across different political parties dominantly by National Resistance Movement (NRM) and National Unity Platform (NUP), it has not been the case with electoral college elections.
The latest developments are that the ruling NRM party has emerged victor of all the five slots for Youth Members of Parliament which indicated it’s continued dominance of the electoral college elections following it’s win of of the elderly and workers elections.
The Central Region youth MP seat was won by NRM’s Agnes Kirabo, who garnered 780 votes against her closest challenger, Ivan Bwowe who garnered 85 votes.
Michael Katongole came next with 75 votes and Simon Sennyonga with 49 votes.
Abdel Kareem Ziritwawula and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party’s Gyaviira Kasumba got nine votes each while Alvin Semmamba got one vote.
However it did go on well with NUP as its flag bearer, Moses Kasule was disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) for using a non-delegate to support his candidature.
In Western Uganda, still NRM’s Edson Rugumayo emerged winner with 1,419 votes, trouncing Minister Beti Kamya’s son Arnold Turwomwe hands down who garnered 402.
Others in the six men race were;Denmark Adios Beineomugisha of FDC who got 26 votes,NUP’s James Kamukama got 3 votes, Independent Edwin Muramuzi got 41 votes and Paul Kato got 1 vote.
Boniface Henry Okot collecting 1,280 votes thrashing Boniface Young of the NUP who got 104 votes in the Northern region side race well as Daniel Obal (independent) got 75 votes, Kelvin Ocaya of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) scored 10 and Patrick Odero of the FDC attained 03 votes.
1,485 delegates cast their votes out of the 1,731 youth delegates from the 41 districts of West Nile, Karamoja, Acholi and Lango sub –regions, while 246 were turned away for late arrival.
Odoi Bernard Onen Mutusa emerged victor of the Eastern Uganda after he polled 967 votes which saw him win his closest rival daughter to proffesor Wasswa Balunywa, Sumayyah Aliza Balunywa (Independent) who got 448 votes.
Jackline Ajego garnered 208 votes followed by Judah Thadeo Wanyama with 105 votes. Alfred Ongwen polled 11 while John Solomon Nabuyanda trailed with one vote.
However the newly elected Eastern Youth MP Bernard Odoi, had been disqualified from the Elections by the Chairperson of The Electoral Commission Justice Simon Byabakama.
In his letter dated December 31, 2020 he disqualified Odoi from the youth elections for Eastern Uganda on grounds that the academic papers he submitted for nomination were not compatible with his age.
“Whereas the said candidate stated in his nomination paper that he is 29 years old, according to his voter registration details, his date of birth is 27th August 1990 and this makes him 30 years by the time he was nominated.
The same date of birth is captured as such in the village youth council nomination register for the period July/August 2020,” Byabakama said in the letter.
However, Odoi appealed against the disqualification by the Electoral Commission and on Sunday, Justice Emmanuel Baguma of the High Court in Kampala reinstated him in the race.
