Mayoral aspirants in Kisoro Municipality have expressed strong opposition to a resolution passed by the Kisoro District Security Committee and the district’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) leadership.
The dispute arose following allegations of electoral malpractice in the recent mayoral race.
The controversy centers on a decision to halt the tallying of votes and hold a re-vote in only one cell, Karumena. This resolution was made during a meeting attended by the district security team and NRM stakeholders.
The final outcome of the election, which took place on Thursday, remains uncertain, leaving candidates Mbonigaba John King, Nambajimana Alex, Ndikuyeze Ramadhan, Mugarura Gerald, and Twizere Denis Karugi in a state of confusion.
During a press conference held Friday evening at Nyamagana Petrol Station, candidate Mbonigaba John King, a long-time radio presenter and musician, accused the security team and NRM leadership of favoritism. Mbonigaba, who claims to have won the election by a margin of over 100 votes, stated he would not participate in the scheduled re-election.
He voiced his frustration, saying, “I am still confused. The elections were held on Thursday, but the registrar has not declared me the winner. I, John King, who grew up in the slums of Kisoro, don’t understand how you can fail to declare me. My opponent has tried every irregularity, but he has failed. I will not surrender until I am declared the winner.”
Mbonigaba also condemned the alleged participation of underage students in the election, accusing school directors of bringing them into a “risky environment.”
“For sure, school directors, our children are always taken to your respective schools mainly for studying. Why would you bring them into this risky environment of politics? On Thursday morning, it was around 10:00 a.m. I saw hundreds of schoolchildren piling themselves into the town. I thought they were going for some football competitions, yet you were bringing our innocent children into politics,” he said.
He congratulated his supporters for their “milestone” win, which he believes is being unfairly hampered by party leaders.
Meanwhile, Ndikuyeze, the former Vice-Chairperson of NRM Kisoro district, claimed to have evidence of electoral malpractice in three villages: Kisoro Hill, Karumena, and Kisoro Main. He questioned why the security team was only considering a re-election in one village.
“We have concrete evidence that in all these villages, vote irregularities were the order of the day. How is it that you want us to re-elect in only one village? That can’t happen. NRM leaders and the security team, we are giving you two options: either rearrange the re-elections in all 24 villages in the municipality or in the three villages we mentioned. Otherwise, you are wasting your time,” Ndikuyeze said.
In response to the allegations, Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) Robert Tukamuhabwa stated that the security committee would proceed with announcing results based on the resolutions made during the official meeting.
He also confirmed that there was no concrete evidence of students’ participation but noted that some students are eligible voters, being 18 years or older and registered with the NRM.
