U. S. WARNS THE GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA ON ITS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

KAMPALA , March 12 (NYUMBANI ) - Uganda has persistently violated the rights of its citizens and media in the aftermath of last month's election which saw President Yoweri Museveni retain his hold on power, the United States said. The comments are the latest sign of deteriorating relations between Western powers and Uganda, an ally in the fight against Islamists in the region. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Friday that Uganda's repeated detention of opposition figures and harassment of their supporters, and the government's interference in a challenge of the poll results are "unacceptable activities in a free and democratic society". "The United States and Uganda have a long standing and strong partnership that has contributed to the stability and prosperity of the region," the statement said. "We are concerned that the Ugandan government's recent actions could endanger the economic and political progress that has enabled our relationship to grow." Uganda's electoral commission declared Museveni, 71 and in power since 1986, the winner of the Feb. 18 election with 60 percent of the vote. Kizza Besigye, who came in second with 35 percent and has rejected the results as fraudulent, has been under virtual house arrest for weeks. A second challenger, former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, has filed an official challenge to the results. Mbabazi said his lawyers' offices were raided soon after filing the challenge. The government has denied any involvement. Museveni has endeared himself to the West by contributing thousands of troops to a peacekeeping mission in Somalia. He has also been credited with bringing relative peace and economic growth to Uganda, a prospective oil producer. But critics say Museveni has not done enough to raise more Ugandans out of poverty or address widespread corruption. Monitors from the European Union (EU) have criticized Uganda for creating an "intimidating atmosphere" around the vote and have said the electoral body lacked transparency and independence. NYUMBANI NEWS REPORT.

THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO DISCLOSE THE BIOMETRIC DATA "MBABAZI'S PETITION"

THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO DISCLOSE THE DATA FROM THE BIO METRIC

VERIFICATION SYSTEM USED AT THE VOTING POLLING STATIONS.

In the amended petition, Mbabazi wants the Electoral Commission to disclose the image clone of the Biometric Voter Verification System [BVVS], database, electronic results transmission and dissemination system.

He claims that it's important to produce such information in order to "add up and tally the number of votes cast for each candidate as recorded in the DR forms for ascertainment of the final result in comparison with that announced and declared by the second respondent [Electoral Commission]."

Mbabazi also seeks the disclosure of the date on the BVVK [Biometric voter verification kit] for each polling station and the BVV database on the national basis to prove that the number of voters declared by the Electoral Commission was materially different from the number of voters recorded on BVV database.

"The number of voters declared by the second respondent included numbers of pre-ticked ballot papers stuffed at various polling stations and post-ticked and stuffed ballot papers in favor of the first respondent in Kiruhura, Sembabule, Bundibugyo, Kasese, Gulu, Lira, Kisoro, Arua, Apac, Moroto, Mpigi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rukungiri, Nakasongola, Kamwenge, Sironko, Isingiro, Kanungu, Rakai, Kaabong, Nakaseke, Amuru, Gomba, Kyankwanzi, Butambala, Rakai, Soroti , Luweero, Mubende and Serere, interalia," the petition notes.

Mbabazi contends that the BVVK and BVVS working for nine hours and allocating two minutes per voter could verify approximately 270 voters per polling station and yield approximately 7,562,700 voters nationally.

"In effect, the 10,329,131 voter the second respondent [Electoral Commission] declared as having voted could not have voted on polling day," Mbabazi says.

We have been informed that Mbabazi will use experts to illustrate how the biometric machines work. On February 20, 2016, the day the final results were declared, Mbabazi says that approximately 1,800,000 registered voters had not yet been counted although the number of polling stations declared were 26,223 out of the total 28,010 polling stations.

It's Mbabazi's contention that the results announced by the Electoral Commission in which they declared Museveni as the winner were manifestly different from the results announced at the various polling stations.

"At many polling stations where the petitioner won and or got higher votes than the first respondent [Museveni], the second respondent [Electoral Commission] declared zero results.

In other instances where the petitioners' votes were higher than the first respondent's, they were switched and given to the first respondent," Mbabazi claims.

TALLY CENTER

Unlike in the first petition, with the amendment, Mbabazi questions the process of counting and consolidating of the results through tallying and transmission of results from each polling station to the district tally center, and finally the national tally center saying that it lacked transparency.

According to Mbabazi's lawyers such a practice was contrary to article 1(4) of the constitution since it was shrouded in mystery coupled by concealment of announcing the results and declaring the winner.

"Clearly, the second respondent had no tally center as mandated by the law; instead the chairman [Badru Kiggundu] of the second respondent [Electoral Commission] was receiving forged figures from an illegal tally center run and operated by security agencies at inter alia Naguru," the petition alleges.

Mbabazi argues that at the national tally centre, the candidates' agents were merely listening posts without any input since Kiggundu and the Electoral Commission commissioners would receive results purportedly transmitted from the returning officers.

Mbabazi claims that the Electoral Commission officials would process and fix results and there-after show to agents what they called results.

"From the above process, there was room for switching results when purportedly tallying and doing all malpractices of rigging to alter the final results," the petition notes.

REGISTER

Mbabazi, in the amended petition, says that the Electoral Commission abdicated its constitutional and statutory duty of properly compiling and securely maintaining the national voters register.

Instead, the commission illegally and irregularly retired the duly-compiled voters register and relied on data compiled by the ministry of Internal Affairs for purposes of issuing national identity cards.

"On polling day, voters were identified using the national identity card issued by the national identification and registration authority instead of a voter's card issued by the second respondent contrary to sections 30(4) and 35 of the PEA," Mbabazi said.

As a result, Mbabazi says, many eligible voters who did not register for the national identity card were disenfranchised while ineligible voters who registered for the national identity card were verified as eligible voters

OPPOSITION LAWYERS' OFFICES BURGLED"MAIN SUSPECT,UGANDA POLICE"

Uganda polls: Opposition lawyers' offices burgled"main suspect,Uganda police"

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — An opposition group that launched a court case against the re-election of Uganda's long-time president accused the police of breaking into a lawyer's office and seizing crucial evidence.

Men in police uniform jumped over a wall fence and broke into the office of lawyers representing former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi, the Go Forward group said Wednesday.

The incident took place Tuesday night in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, after guards assigned to protect the property were beaten, said Medard Sseggona, a spokesman for Go Forward.

"They were specifically looking for info relating to the petition," he said. "'It was a well-orchestrated move."

Mbabazi, who was the Go Forward Candidate in presidential elections last month, pressed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging the re-election of President Yoweri Museveni. Mbabazi's legal team has described the elections as a "sham," echoing similar comments by Kizza Besigye, the main opposition leader.

Police spokesman Fred Enanga denied police were involved in the alleged burglary and accused the opposition of "playing games" aimed at discrediting the police. The police are investigating the incident, he said.

International election observers cited may irregularities with Uganda's elections, which were marred by late delivery of polling materials in opposition strongholds, some incidents of violence, and a government shutdown of social media.

In the lawsuit before Uganda's highest court, Mbabazi's lawyers argue that the elections were tainted by widespread illegalities and are seeking a vote recount in disputed districts such as Museveni's home area, where official results showed him winning with 100 percent support.

Museveni, in power since 1986, won about 60 percent of the votes and his nearest rival, Besigye, got about 35 percent, according to final tally. Museveni denied the allegations of vote fraud.

Offices of lawyers challenging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's victory in last month's election have been broken into.

Lead counsel Mohamed Mbabazi said laptops, computers and documents were taken from his office.

The lawyers are representing Uganda's former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi who wants the election results annulled.

Local and international observers criticised the election process which saw Mr Museveni win 60% of the vote.

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Museveni v Mbabazi

Amama Mbabazi, 67, used to be an ally to President Museveni. He started his professional life as a lawyer and went on to hold a variety of ministerial roles under Mr Museveni including security, defence, justice minister. He has also been the attorney general and was prime minister for three years before he was sacked. He went on to challenge his old ally in February's election.

He hinted at an election rally that the two had fallen out over Mr Museveni breaking a promise that he would step down.

Yoweri Museveni, 71, has been in power since winning a five-year guerrilla war in 1986 and he is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. His final term was meant to end in 2006, but in 2005 he won a campaign to lift the constitutional term limits.