Friday lunch, Museveni, Besigye race still too close to call

By lunchtime on Friday February 24, Ugandan time, there was still a deadlock between President Yoweri Museveni and his main challenger Colonel Kizza Besigye.

The results between the two men continues to swing back and forth between them, but in the range of 46 to 49 percent.

It is more than 16 hours since President Museveni registered any total standing above the 50 percent mark.

What is important to note is that most of the areas in western Uganda where there has been heavy and open rigging for Museveni have had their results announced by the Daily Monitor and KFM radio.

These include Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kinkizi, Kabarole, Masindi, and others. With these heavily rigged areas still failing to secure Museveni the break above the 50 percent mark, indicates that there is going to be a very close finish, with Besigye and Museveni tying around 47 percent each.

As results began coming in and the NRM saw the strong showing by Colonel Besigye, General David Tinyefuza suggested that the army steps in and overthrows the government in order to abort a Besigye victory.

Sources say President Museveni restrained Tinyefuza, saying "Wait."

The Electoral Commission, after being silent since polls closed on Thursday, began announcing provisional results on Friday.

However, Daily Monitor Political Editor Andrew Mwenda complained to the Presidential Press Secretary, Francis Onapito Ekomoloit on phone that the Electoral Commission was trying to influence public sentiment by releasing the results selectively to favour Museveni.

The Electoral Commission, in the results it was announcing before and around lunchtime Friday, did not mention a single Kampala result where Besigye has beaten Museveni.

Kampala remains an empty city with few vehicles on the roads and most of the shops along William Street, Luwum Street, and Wilson Road closed.

Meanwhile, news coming in to Radio Katwe says that the western diplomats and observers in Uganda have come out determined that there will be no rigging.

According to sources in Kampala, the western diplomats and observers brought in fax machines that were programmed to go past the Uganda telecommunications system and end up either at their embassies or out of the country.

That is how the NRM has found itself unable to control the information flow and that is why the Electoral Commission has been delaying in relaying results.

Sources at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi along Entebbe Road say that the Electoral Commission is deliberately announcing inflated figures in order to break the spirit of the FDC and prepare the country psychologically for a large Museveni rig.

The Electoral Commission in its morning report said Museveni was at 59 percent, far above what the Daily Monitor/KFM tally centre has been reporting. KFM has been reporting a consistent 46-49 percent range for either men at any one time.

Sources also tell us that Radio Katwe has become a source of information and updates that the mainstream Ugandan media cannot publish or broadcast.

At the American, British, and French diplomatic missions in Kampala, Radio katwe.com is constantly being visited for insider information.

More updates later.