The Chairman
Electoral Committee
Forum for Democratic Change
August 25, 2010
Dear Sir,
Further to my letter dated August 24, 2010, I would like to inform you that there have been further developments that now convince me that I was not only correct in submitting the initial complaint but am now convinced that Mr. Michael Kabaziguruka must not be allowed to participate in any elections in Nakawa as a candidate for any position.
Mr. Chairman, the minutes will reflect that Mr. Kabaziguruka informed an FDC, NEC meeting of August 25, 2010, that he had taken leave of absence to contest the election for MP Nakawa Division. Later in the same meeting you informed NEC that Michael Kabaziguruka continued to hold his office after you advised him to resign and that you had not received a letter of resignation from him as of the time of that same meeting. So while Mr. Kabaziguruka created the impression that he has taken leave of absence, his immediate supervisor, yourself; informed NEC that you had advised Michael to resign and he had not complied. Apart from the obvious insubordination displayed in this case it is also clear that there was deliberate dishonesty on the part of Mr. Kabaziguruka.
Mr. Chariman, we followed your advice to meet and discuss a future date for the election but the possibility of an agreement collapsed at a well orchestrated consultative meeting of Nakawa FDC members which was held the same day August 25, 2010 at Naguru Community Center. At the well attended meeting I was treated to an unnerving and dramatic display of deceit. Your representative, Mr. Chairman informed the meeting that he was instructed by you to attend but was unaware of the conflict that existed in Nakawa. Interestingly, he came with a well prepared proposal to resolve a conflict he knew nothing about! His statement and attitude was not only a mockery of your good office, it was contemptuous and completely disregarded the measure of NEC’s concern for free and fair elections in Nakawa.
The fracas that followed, with the active participation of your representative; only confirmed my fears that FDC does not have an independent electoral commission and that it is not possible to hold free and fair elections in Nakawa as long as Michael Kabaziguruka is a candidate. While I managed to navigate the chaos and defer agreement on an election date, I would not under any circumstances describe the consultative meeting at Naguru as a gathering deserving even a footnote in the history of FDC.
Further to my earlier submission of suspicious lists of 19 individuals appearing on FDC letterheads, I am now submitting copies of the following items:
1. A list of 19 individuals for Zone B 10, Banda Parish, Nakawa Division
2. A copy of a dated and stamped Form Code (W/PAB) dated August 25, 2010; a blank return sheet for the upcoming elections; one of many that can be obtained quite easily in Nakawa Division.
These forms and similar lists can also be found by contacting the following individuals who offered to sell the lists and forms to me for 25 million shillings. The same individuals informed me that they were agents of Mr. Michael Kabaziguruka who had recently purchased them a motorcycle to complete the lists and fill the forms ahead of the election. Note that Mr. Kabaziguruka at first denied knowledge of these individuals but after I confronted him with information of someone else who attended his campaign meetings with these gentlemen, he admitted that he knew them. They are:
Mr. Robert Muwonge Tel. 077747386
Mr. Sembatya Tel. 0776694622
I was not able to identify the other two gentlemen they visited with.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my disappointment and sadness that in all interactions with your office on this matter, I have sensed a great deal of anxiety and urgency to meet your deadlines and stick to the roadmap at the expense of a free and fair election. I am equally surprised at the Electoral Committee’s lack of interest in investigating the issues of electoral fraud that have been raised even after I have shared with you names and contacts of my sources of information. The irony is that FDC fights hard for free and fair elections outside the party.
While I could have considered an extension of the election date as a feasible solution yesterday, today I realize that the damage caused by Mr. Kabaziguruka’s actions and omissions in the process leading up to this election must disqualify him from contesting.
This letter is copied to the party leadership because of the vested interest that your office has in the dispute.
Anne Mugisha
cc. Secretary General, FDC
President, FDC
Chairman, FDC
NEC Members
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