Urban districts have always registered a low voter turnout. For instance, in the January 2021 presidential election, Kampala had a 43 percent voter turnout. In 2016, it polled 51.48 percent, 41.52 per cent in 2011, 58.7 per cent in 2006.
Amuriat explains that he got into direct confrontations with security agencies—mainly police and the army—on several occasion. For instance, he says he was arrested 13 times, confined in different places, taken to court three times.
Unlike previous elections where Museveni won in both districts, he lost to the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also known as Bobi Wine. Bobi Wine won Buvuma district with 64 per cent of the total votes cast while Museveni scored 32 per cent, a drop from the 57 per cent score against Kiiza Besigye in 2016.
165 polling stations, mainly in Kampala and Wakiso, have more than 1200 registered voters which are above the ceiling of voters supposed to be at a particular polling station in urban areas (and 900 in rural areas) according to Electoral Commission (EC) data.
With 5.65 million voters which is approximately 31.18 percent of the total registered voters and the NRM advantage on a downward spiral, Buganda is seen as a critical voting block which any candidate who wishes to win must bag.
Blanshe Musinguzi · author