Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, who is perceived to be president Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger in the January 14 polls has developed an Application to track votes.
Ugandans will cast votes to choose president and legislators in the next 12 days. Although the race has eleven candidates, Museveni who has been in power since 1986 and Kyagulanyi are perceived as the major contenders.
Since 2001, Museveni has been facing off with his bush war doctor, Col Kizza Besigye. However, in all the last four polls, Dr Besigye has been accusing Museveni of rigging votes, using military and police to deprive Ugandans chance of having peaceful transition of power.
In her 58 years of independence, Uganda has never had peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. All former presidents were either removed in coups or through civil wars.
It is against such background, Kyagulanyi has opted to use an App to track votes. Kyagulanyi believes Museveni has been altering declaration forms during the transfer process.
The Application dubbed U Vote which Kyagulanyi said will soon be launched, will be accessed by all his polling agents and all Ugandans with smart phones purposely to take pictures of declaration forms and immediately share for easy tallying.
Kyagulanyi revealed the new Application while addressing Ugandans in his first New Year’s message. The 38-year-old urged voters to turn up in big numbers on January 14 and ensure they protect their votes.
The campaign period that started on November 9, has been characterized by brutality mostly meted to National Unity Platform –NUP supporters and party’s flagbearer Kyagulanyi.
Not only NUP and Kyagulanyi fans have been brutalized by security agencies but also Forum for Democratic Change –FDC’s candidate, Patrick Oboi Amuriat. The two candidates have been arrested, detained and charged in court on allegations of flouting Covid19 orders.
More than 50 people were killed in November last year during the sporadic protests that followed the arrest of Kyagulanyi. At least 100 people were left nursing bullet wounds. President Yoweri Museveni praised security agencies for allegedly fighting criminal elements which he said wanted to cause havoc in the City and other parts of the country.