Security agencies should remain vigilant against any form of vote rigging if Uganda is to hold peaceful elections, Moses Muhangi, an independent candidate for the Kampala Central parliamentary seat, has said.
Muhangi told journalists in Kampala today that he had received what he described as “reliable information” about a planned attempt to manipulate votes in parts of the constituency, including Kisenyi I, Kisenyi II, Kisenyi III, Mengo and Kamwokya.
He warned that electoral malpractice could trigger chaos that the public would not wish to experience.
“I am reliably informed about planned malpractices, but this should not happen because it could cause chaos,” Muhangi said.
He also warned his rivals that he had his own strategy to protect his votes. Muhangi said he was prepared to mobilise boxers to safeguard his electoral interests during the elections.
“I am ready to deploy all Ugandan boxers to help me protect my votes because I am their president and they are my friends, just as President Museveni deploys soldiers to protect his votes,” he said.
Muhangi is a boxing administrator and promoter, best known for his long involvement in Uganda’s professional boxing scene, where he has held senior leadership roles.
He said he was confident that his door-to-door campaign strategy would be decisive in winning the seat. He said the approach had allowed him to reach households and individuals across the constituency and better understand their daily struggles.
He cited high levels of poverty and unemployment, poor markets and roads, and poor hygiene as some of the key challenges facing residents of Kampala Central. He said these were issues he intended to prioritise if elected to parliament on January 15.
Muhangi said he was ready to work with any president elected in the forthcoming polls, whether it is President Museveni or opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
He also took a swipe at his main competitors, including the NRM flag bearer Minsa Kabanda and National Unity Platform (NUP) secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya. Muhangi said both were too occupied with their national responsibilities to effectively campaign on the ground.
“She [Kabanda] is a minister and the other is secretary general of the biggest opposition party. They keep saying they have big offices, but they do not have enough time to campaign,” Muhangi said.
