The leader of National Unity Platform(NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, has accused President Museveni of being a "pathological liar" in regard to fair elections in Uganda.
Kyagulanyi remarks came shortly after president Museveni ordered the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to kick off investigations into last months' violent Bukedea LC5 by-election.
The by-election among others saw one of the candidates beaten and stripped naked at the Electoral Commission offices.
In his directive to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Museveni said he has been informed that the violence was orchestrated by government officials.
"Therefore, investigate these claims and if any criminality was committed, take action and report back. Such actions are not only electoral offences. They are also criminals. I am, therefore, directing you to handle the criminals," Museveni said in the June, 26 directive to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit head, Brig Henry Isoke.
In his statement, Kyagulanyi detailed the many crimes allegedly committed by president Museveni and his supporters during the recent election.
Kyagulanyi stated that the president is responsible for the atrocities committed against Ugandans during the 2021 election.
"He knows so well that he is still in power today because of these same crimes and even worse that he committed against the people of Uganda in 2021. Yet here he is now, claiming to care about the quality of elections," said Kyagulanyi.
He alleged that hundreds of Ugandans were murdered, abducted, and tortured, and that Museveni's regime blocked opposition campaigns, threw them out of radio stations, and arrested their polling agents.
According to Kyagulanyi, Museveni even switched off the internet and deployed the military to tick all ballot papers at many polling stations.
Additionally, Museveni was accused of declaring a 100% voter turnout at over 409 polling stations, including voters who had long died, and abducting people who had collected the opposition's Declaration Results Forms (DR Forms).
Kyagulanyi also accused the president of intimidating judges of the Supreme Court, adding that he is now persecuting Justice Esther Kisakye for ruling in the opposition's favour.
He stated that this is just a fraction of the many other electoral crimes and crimes against humanity that Museveni committed during the election.
According to Kyagulanyi, Museveni's claims that he cares about the quality of elections in Uganda are completely false, and he urged Ugandans to stand up against oppression and fight for democracy in the country.
"Well, that is Museveni for you, a pathological liar. It is amazing how at his age he still lies with such confidence! Very, very sad," he said.
Kyagulanyi also called into question Museveni's claim to care about the quality of elections.
In the Kayunga by-election, Kyagulanyi claimed that Museveni made his candidate declared the winner despite the NUP candidate, Harriet Nakwedde, winning at all polling stations.
In the Omoro by-election, he claimed that security officers arrested 62 polling agents out of the 84 polling stations, spending the night before the election bribing poor voters with little money, salt, and sugar.
Museveni's supporters were also accused of moving around with pre-ticked ballot papers in numberless vehicles.
Kyagulanyi also alleged that in the Kasese by-election, the military had taken over polling stations and ticked many ballots in favor of Museveni's candidate, and RDCs were deployed to give out money and ferry imposters to participate in the voting.
In the Pallisa by-election, the NUP candidate was said to have been severely intimidated and coerced into dropping out of the race, promised hundreds of millions of tax-payers' money.
In the Soroti by-election, security was accused of distributing pre-ticked ballot papers under the watch of Electroal Commission and arresting several leaders and assaulting election observers, while in Kisoro, polling agents were arrested and assaulted.
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Kyagulanyi described Museveni as a "pathological liar," stating that it is amasing how even at his age, he still lies with such confidence.
The violence
Ahead of the June, 15, 2023 by-election, one of the aspirants, David Steven Omagor, on an independent ticket was attacked by a group of over 50 goons as he approached the Electoral Commission offices for nomination.
He was badly beaten by the goons who had surrounded him and in the process, his clothes were torn whereas the same group made off with his nomination papers.
Earlier, there was also a raid at Omagor's home and several documents including nomination papers he had earlier prepared stolen as well as campaign cash amounting to shs162 million.
The by-election was later won by NRM's Mary Akol who won the by-election after Omagor had withdrawn from the race.
