Numbers have failed to tally in the just concluded East African Legislative Assembly-EALA election. Members of Parliament on Thursday voted for the nine Ugandan MPs who will represent the country in the regional body.
According to the results released by the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among who is the returning officer for the EALA elections, 495 MPs out of the total number of 529 eligible voters participated in the election.
Among however later added that when the counting ended, 478 MPs had participated in the election.
According to the rules of procedure governing EALA elections, each MP is presented with a ballot paper containing the names of all those contesting for him or her to choose nine of the contestants.
In today’s election, 28 candidates were nominated to participate.
However, a close look at the figures by Uganda Radio Network shows that more people than those who were eligible could have participated in the election.
It should be recalled that the National Unity Platform the biggest opposition political party in parliament boycotted the elections and its members were not present.
NUP has got 57 MPs. When you take the first figure given by the speaker of 495 and you add to it the 57 NUP MPs, you get 552MPs, which is over and above the total number of all MPs in the 11th parliament by 23 MPs.
If still you take 478 as the total number of the MPs who have voted today, the number would be over by six MPs.
It should be recalled that both the speaker and deputy speaker are also not allowed to vote. Therefore, this would increase the illegible voters in the first instance from 11 to 13 and from six to eight more illegible voters respectively.
Speaking to several MPs who were granted anonymity to speak freely, they said there are a number of their colleagues who are even outside the country a case in point is Betty Aol, the former leader of the opposition who is said to be in Israel. So, if this is factored in, it increases the number of illegal voters.
Earlier in the day, the MP for Aringa South Alioni Odria briefly interrupted the proceedings of parliament claiming that as MPs were busy listening to contestants, ballot boxes were already being stuffed.
Odira, who was shouting at the top of his voice, wondered how ballot boxes had ticked ballots before polling stations were opened.
He kept shouting until the Deputy Speaker threatened to throw him out of the chambers if he didn’t stop shouting. However, about 10 minutes later, Tayebwa read a letter from the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among stating that she had authorized several MPs to vote early as they had commitments elsewhere.
After the declaration of the elections, Bugiri municipality MP Asumani Basalirwa requested that in future parliament considers amending some aspects of the rules governing EALA election like giving the speaker-specific powers to allow for early voting to forestall accusations of vote rigging like those raised today by Odria.
Meanwhile according to the declared results, the six incumbent NRM MPs including Rose Akol who garnered 422 votes, Namara Dennis 415 votes, Kakooza James 405 votes, George Odongo 403 votes, Musamali Pau 401 votes and Mugenyi Mary 367 votes retained their seats.
Also declared are Independent-NRM leaning candidates Veronica Kadogo 383 votes and Amongin Jacquiline 338 votes. The two are former Women members of the 9th and 10th Parliaments representing Buyende and Ngora districts respectively.
Democratic Party’s (DP) Gerald Siranda is the only Opposition candidate who sailed through the election with 233 votes. His election follows a Cooperation Agreement signed between President Yoweri Museveni and DP President General Norbert Mao.
One of the clauses in the agreement was for NRM, which boosts of majority in parliament to support Siranda for EALA.
In the other results, Kaija Harold Scandrone of the FDC scored 99 votes, Ebil Fred of UPC 139 votes and Kateregga Muhammad of Jeema scored 36 votes.
For the candidates all of whom were independents their scores stood as follows; Agaba Gilbert 210 votes, Ategeka Moses 4 votes, Bukyana Julius 8 votes, Bwengye Lauben Muhangi 5 votes, Kapyata Dennis 9 votes, Kiryowa Stella 27 votes, Lolem Josephine 11 votes, Kisembo Ronex Tendo 6 votes, Luyinda Fred 5 votes and others.
The others are Murangira Ambrose 181 votes, Muwonge Mugwanya Daniel 4 votes, Muyinda Allan Stanley 4 votes, Naamara Patience Tumwesigye 35 votes, Nakitende Salaama Adelaide 6 votes, Rwandarugali Phiona 23 votes and Tindyebwa Joseph 22 votes.
The term of the 4th East African Legislative Assembly ends on December 17, 2022. EALA is an organ of the East African Community -EAC established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community.
The Assembly has a Membership comprising nine members elected by each Partner State; ex-officio members consisting of the Minister or Assistant Minister responsible for the East African Community Affairs from each Partner State; the Secretary-General and the Counsel to the Community.
Currently, the Assembly has 54 elected Members; and 8 ex-officio Members. Each of the East African Community member countries has to send nine legislators to the Arusha-based Assembly.
The term of the current EALA members ends this year and elections are scheduled for December.
Elected representatives to EALA from the 7 Member States of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC serve a five-year tenure. The current 4th Assembly has 62 members, whose term commenced in 2017.
According to Article 50 of the East African Community Treaty, members are elected by their respective country’s national legislature.
Article 50 also requires the said members to reflect their country’s political parties, opinions, gender composition, and other special groups.