Eng. Kiggundu’s job, the curse of female nakedness and why EC needs a female boss

By Asuman Bisiika

After hitting their heads on the wall with minimal results, opposition leaders now want to meet Eng. Badru Kiggundu, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission.

Although Kiggundu will welcome this engagement, he must be praying that his ‘special’ guests don’t have the IPC ladies in their entourage. These ladies are famous (infamous?) for their threat to strip naked in protest of Kiggundu’s re-appointment as the Electoral Commission’s (EC) boss.

During our recent meeting, Kiggundu passed for a man who is free in his skin: cracking a joke here and there with fatherly, nay, grandfatherly confidence. But he will have to dig deeper in his chest of charm to impress these hard men from the opposition.

The opposition has after all vowed to do anything to get Kiggundu out of his job: even if it takes the IPC ladies to ‘cast a curse on him’ by undressing in front of him.

Man under siege
The results and management of the 2006 Presidential Elections were challenged in court. The Supreme Court agreed with the petitioners that there were irregularities in the management of the poll. This is the basis for the opposition’s claims that the EC (as constituted now) is not competent to manage the 2011 polls.

Consequently, the opposition is posturing itself as victims of an electoral robbery and portraying their militant actions as vigilance against being robbed again. This puts the burden of managing a free and fair poll squarely on the shoulders of Eng. Badru Kiggundu.

The political opposition is promoting itself as the legitimate voice of Ugandans. And only free and fair elections would deny them (opposition) the initiative of unsettling the government as weak and illegitimate.

Initially, the opposition called for the amendment of the existing electoral laws. The laws were amended and most of the opposition’s ideas were included in the amendments. The actionable demand was: the opposition’s input in the Electoral Commission Act Amendment Bill and other related legislations. That was done.

Zero-sum demands
Expecting the government to play hard ball, the opposition was surprised by the government’s acceptance and adoption of almost all their input. Disarmed, the opposition now cast doubt on (challenged) the independence of the EC. The actionable demand was: the EC was not independent enough to manage the 2011 Elections.

The EC stole the initiative from the opposition by holding four successful Parliamentary By-elections in Mbale Municipality, Padyer County, Rukiga County and Mukono North. Then the opposition demanded that they should have participated in the process of constituting (appointment of) members of the EC. Actionable demand was: the political opposition should have been consulted as part of the process of appointing the members of the commission.

Other than participating in the parliamentary vetting of EC members as provided for in the constitution, there is no constitutional or legal compulsion to consult the opposition in the appointment of the EC. That’s why the opposition’s demands are now focused on the person, personality and office of Eng. Dr. Badru Kiggundu. The actionable demand is: the removal of Badru Kiggundu from the chairmanship of the Electoral Commission.

Female EC boss
Among my people, the worst a woman (must have given birth) can do to a man (must not be her hubby or sexual partner) is by holding her breasts and casting a curse on you. A woman’s nakedness as part of the ritual to cast a curse is only talked about, but not done. Only mad women, even then in the worst degree of madness, go naked. That’s why Kiggundu should take IPC ladies serious.

The curse of female nakedness can only work against a man and that of a man works against a woman. Since men are very unlikely to strip naked as a means of protest (against women) and female nakedness can’t work against a woman, an EC female boss would be immune to the IPC ladies’ threat of stripping naked. That’s why the next Chairman of the Electoral Commission should be a woman. ENDS