KAMPALA – Candidates allied to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party won all the four youth MP seats in Monday’s hotly contested elections.
NRM’s Benard Oneni Odoi Mutusa won the Eastern Region Youth Member of Parliament. Odoi, was declared winner by the Eastern Region Returning Officer. David Anyanzo, on Tuesday morning at Mbale Secondary School in Mbale City. Odoi garnered 967 votes beating his closest rival Sumaya Aliza Balunywa who scored 448 votes.
Other candidates in the race were independents Jacklyn Ajego who got 208, Nabuyanda Solomon with 01, Thaddeo Wanyama who got 105 and Alfred Ogwene who scored 11 votes.
Earlier, the Electoral Commission had disqualified Odoi for being over age and that he was not eligible to contest for the Youth MP elections. However, Court reinstated him on Sunday after it ruled that it was illegal for the EC to denominate Onen basing on allegations, saying he is eligible to run for the Eastern Youth MP seat.
The Central/ Southern Regional elections officer Robert Beine on Monday evening declared NRM’s Agnes Kirabo the elected Member of Parliament for the youths in the central region.
Kirabo polled 780 votes while her closest competitor, independent Ivan Bwowe collected 85 only votes. Also in the race was Michael Katongole who garnered 78 votes then came Simon Sennyonga in the fourth position with 49 votes while Ziritwawula Abdel Kareem collected 09 votes. FDC’s Kasumba Gyaviira got 09 votes and Semmamba Alvin got only 1 votes in the election which took place at National Teachers’ College Mubende on Monday. The NUP candidate identified as Moses Kasule was disqualified on grounds that he used a non-delegate to support his candidature.
NRM’s Boniface Henry Okot was on Tuesday declared the winner of the Northern Region Youth Member of Parliament race. Okot, 28, garnered a total of 1,280 votes beating Boniface Young of the National Unity Platform –NUP who got 104 votes. Other candidates who followed are Daniel Obal, an independent candidate who got 75 votes, Kelvin Ocaya of the Alliance for National Transformation –ANT and Patrick Odero of the Forum for Democratic Change party –FDC who scored 10 and 03 votes respectively.
Edson Rugumayo of NRM was also elected the western region Youth Member of Parliament.
Rugumayo was declared the winner of a race that attracted six other candidates, including, Denmark Adios Beineomugisha, (FDC) James Kamukama(NUP), Edwin Muramuzi, Paul Kato, Arnold Turwomwe, all Independent candidates.
The Youth delegates were drawn from 38 districts that form the regions of Kigezi, Ankole, Bunyoro, and Toro are converging at Ntare School in Mbarara city.
The returning officer Apollo Musinguzi declared Rugumayo as the duly elected Youth Member of Parliament after he garnered 1,419 votes beating his stiff competitor Arnold Turwomwe Independent who managed to collect 402 votes, others Adios Beineomugisha, FDC collected 26 votes, James Kamukama got 03 votes, Kato Paul independent 00 votes, Muramuzi Edwin, Independent 41 votes, out of the 1891 votes cast and there was no rejected or spoilt vote.
By the time of declaration, other candidates were not present nor were their agents and thus missed signing on the declaration forms.
