President Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta, also ruling NRM Presidential candidate has been nominated to stand in the upcoming 2021 General election.
Museveni arrived at the Kyambogo nomination grounds at 9:50am, being the first candidate to be nominated. He was accompanied by the first lady Janet Museveni and a group of ten people that were requested for by the EC.
The EC Chairman Justice Byabakama Mugenyi announced Museveni as a duly nominated at 10:38am on Monday morning.
The chairman also read out the guidelines to be followed by the candidate throughout the electoral process.
“You must appoint a campaign agent, avail a campaign schedule of your campaign schedule and media programs as soon as practicable and must adhere to the COVID-19 SOPs” Byabakama noted.
Upon completion of the exercise, President Yoweri Museveni thanked the EC for nominating him and also applauded his nominatorstoday.
“Today I was accompanied by the Vice President, Alhajji Kigongo, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the Secretary General of the NRM Hajjati Bakali our veteran, then a muzukulu from Karamoja, a veteran and Dombo from the secretariat. I also thank the NRM supporters in the district who nominated me because you must get at least 100 from the two thirds in the district, but we got more than 100” Museveni said.
He also told Ugandans to observe the guidelines set by the health ministry like wearing masks and observing social distance. I would like to appeal to Ugandans nti oulwadde buno temubuzanyis. Temulowoza nti muzanyo, obulwadde butta” he warned.
Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda was part of the delegation that accompanied Museveni, however the party Secretary General Kasule Lumumba says this was done in his capacity as Central Executive Committee member, not as the Prime Minister.
After nomination, the president will head to Speke Resort Munyonyo to launch the party manifesto.
10 candidates have been cleared for nomination, and 4 of these will be nominated today.
These are; Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the ruling NRM, Nancy Kalembe (Indep) the only woman in the race, Gen. Henry Tumukunde (Indep) and Gen. Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation, ANT.
Nancy Kalembe who will be nominated at 3:00 o’clock will arrive by 1:00pm. She says their delegation will only have the 10 people as requested, and that she will be escorted by police from Jinja where she currently is.
Gen. Tumukunde will be nominate this afternoon too. He says they are still working on a possibility of fronting a single candidate for the opposition. “We are still talking, and I am one of the architects of this process, there is still a possibility. The only thing we are likely to lose is 20 million” Tumukunde says.
The General is targeting what he terms as the virgin voters.
EC Spokesperson Paul Bukenya says all the aspirants who have not yet fulfilled the requirements for nominations still have a chance to join the race before conclusion of the exercise tomorrow.
