Ubungo mayoral poll put off as CCM wins in Kinondoni

Dar es Salaam. Mayoral elections in the Ubungo Municipality were suspended indefinitely yesterday due to allegations of serious irregularities which Chadema claim deliberately perpetrated in a bid to facilitate a victory for the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

Meanwhile, in the Kinondoni Municipality, Chadema and Civicl United Front members boycotted the mayoral polls but CCM members went ahead and elected Benjamin Sitta as the Mayor and George Manyama as Deputy Mayor.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the Ubungo election was suspended, Chadema deputy secretary general (Mainland) John Mnyika said the confusion was brought about by the arbitrary transfer of voting rights of some Special Seats MPs from Ubungo to Kinondoni and vice versa.

He noted that Chadema’s Special Seats MP Suzan Lyimo and CUF Special Seats MP Salma Mwasa who were supposed to cast their ballots in the Kinondoni polls were transferred by the Returning Officer to Ubungo against the regulations which says that the Special Seats MPs will cast their ballots in the municipality where their process to elect them started.

“On the other hand, CCM Special Seats MP and deputy speaker Dr Tulia Ackson and the councillor for Saranga, Ms Florence Masunga who were supposed to cast their votes in Ubungo were transferred to Kinondoni contravening the local government regulations,” Mr Mnyika who is also the Kibamba MP.

“We are aware that the election is surrounded by irregularities purposely to favour the ruling CCM,” he said.

Ubungo Executive Director John Ulanga declined to comment on what transpired during the elections when members of the media demanded clarifications from him.

“I have nothing to say. Check with information officers, they may have something to say,” he said as he left Ubungo Municipality premises.

Also, Ubungo District Commissioner Humphrey Polepole also said he wasn’t in a position to comment.

The immediate former Kinondoni mayor and the Ubungo municipality mayoral candidate on the Chadema ticket, Mr Boniface Jacob said they discovered plans to have the votes rigged when invitation letters to attend elections were issued last Friday, just two days before the polls.

“Regulations require that invitation letters be dispatched about a week before polls. Sending letters two days before the election was a clear message that CCM had ulterior motives,” he charged.

In Kinondoni, CCM MPs and councillors went on with the polls in a closed-door meeting. Only journalists from Clouds Media, and the government and CCM-owned media houses were allowed to cover the polls. The fresh mayoral polls were organised after the Kinondoni municipality was split into two. This was part of the government to reconstitute the Dar es Salaam City, the process that also involved creating two new districts Ubungo and Kigamboni. Following the fiasco Chadema Secretary General Vincent Mashinji said they would file a petition in court today.