UGANDA'S DECISION TIME

FDC's presidential candidate and head of opposition (left)and Incubent president Yoweri Museveni (right) who are the main rivals for Uganda's top job.

Ugandans go to the polls today to decide their leadership fate on whether to extend President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's rule to be a three decade or whether to give his former personal physician Dr.Kizza Besigye a chance at the top office.The two face each other in their third fight for supremacy all in which Museveni has ousted Besigye.Besigye has vowed that this will be the last time against Museveni if he doesnt get him out of office.
The FDC/IPC's candidate have warned that violence will arise should Museveni steal the election.The Ugandan Electoral Commission has promised a free and fair exercise with an equal ground for all players.However questions arise on the credibility of this commission as all the commissioners were appointed by Museveni (commonly known as M7) and is the same commission that oversaw the contentious 2006 elections that were marred by vote rigging allegations.
Besigye's worry that the elections might be rigged and warned that Uganda will go the Egyptian way a statement that incubent president Museveni who took over power by overthrowing Idi Amin in1986 downplayed and dared them them to do so and find themselves in jails.Uganda is a no-politics gossip zone and according to a recent opinion poll six in every ten Ugandans cannot speak freely on politics especially if M7is involved.
Ugandans would wish for change but are worried that Museveni has everything at his disposal including the electoral body and trhe security foces who have been deployed to different parts of the Pearl of Africa in the wake of violence prediction.Both candidates are promising Ugandans different heavens.Besigye promises Ugandans rural electrification and improved infrastructure while Museveni boasts on eceonomic stability and power generation.
Politics in Uganda seems to be a one man's say,M7 who is ranked as the seventh longest serving prseident in Africa and who might have the last laugh if the recent opinion polls are anything to buy as he takes 60%,followed by Besigye with 34% while the other five presidential contenders share the remainder of the pie.
As Ugandans decide,The African Voices urges them to be calm and peaceful during and after the whole exercise and accept the results as they come, and not to go to its past which was characterized by constant violence,civil war and political instability but focus much more on the development of their countyr.

Kelvin Mwangi,
Nairobi.