Friday, March 29, 2024

Dubai firm did not print Ugandan Election Ballot Papers, VJ Challenged

Share

HH taking to Vernon Mwaanga
HH taking to Vernon Mwaanga

THE ballot papers for presidential and parliamentary elections for the February Ugandan general elections were printed by Ms Paarl Media a South Africa-based company contrary to claims by veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga that the key voting materials were printed by a Dubai-based Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House.

Investigations by the Daily Nation have revealed that the Electoral Commission of Uganda had, in fact, contracted four companies including TALL Security Print Ltd of the United Kingdom, Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House of the United Arab Emirates and Picfare Industries of Uganda to printing their voting materials.

Paarl Media, South African-based printing company was awarded the tender to print ballot papers for presidential, parliamentary and district women councillor.

It has been revealed that the other two companies, TALL Security Print Ltd of the UK and Picface Industries of Uganda printed ballots for district chairpersons, district directly-elected councillors and sub-county women councillors and municipality mayors, municipality councillors and special interest group councillors respectively.

The Daily Nation has established that Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House of Dubai was never contracted to print presidential ballot papers for the presidential election in Uganda.

According to the findings by the Daily Nation, the first batch of ballot papers for the February 18th presidential and parliamentary elections arrived in that country in January from South Africa where they were printed.

Other companies that bidded for the printing of voting materials for the general elections in Uganda were another South Africa-based; Ren-From CC Printers and another UK-based company called Kalamazoo Secure Solutions, but did not win the tender.

Dr Mwaanga was yesterday quoted in the Post Newspaper alleging that some ballot papers printed by a Dubai-based company, Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House were allegedly pre-marked.

Dr Mwaanga told the Post Newspaper that: “It is important that stakeholders verify this Dubai company. I challenge the stakeholders to verify because there are reports that it is the same company that printed ballot papers in Uganda.” Dr Mwaanga also claimed that the Ugandan presidential and parliamentary ballot papers allegedly printed by Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House ended up in the wrong hands just before the elections amid allegations by the opposition in that country that the Government of President Yoweri Museveni kept printing additional ballot papers.

The veteran politician was quoted as having said: “Some of the ballots were pre-marked in favour of Museveni according to testimony which was presented in court when Museveni’s re-election was challenged by opposition parties. With this kind of reputation, why should ECZ (Electoral Commission of Zambia) be adamant to use a company whose reputation is already under the spotlight?”

And Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) director Priscilla Isaacs has said the commission will award the Dubai-based Company to print the ballot papers if other bidders would not object its decision.

In an interview with the Daily Nation, Ms Isaacs said the Commission had already expressed its intentions of awarding the contract to the company in Dubai.

Ms Isaacs said the tendering process was still ongoing as the commission was yet to settle for the best bidder.

51 COMMENTS

  1. Richard Sakala’s Daily Nation is making a mountain out of a molehill. This is what VJ said;
    “It is important that stakeholders verify this Dubai company. I challenge the stakeholders to verify because there are reports that it is the same company that printed ballot papers in Uganda”
    In his statement, VJ was not categorical, nowhere does he claim to have facts. He cautioned stakeholder to VERIFY the REPORTS. Richard Sakala, mwacepa saana. You can’t outsmart VJ.

    • PF wants steal a lot of money and manipulate the votes thats why they have decided to contract a foreign country to print the ballots.

      Ballots are even simpler to print than exam papers, but why is PF insisting on having them printed outside the country?

      All stake holders should refuse to have ballots printed outside the country. Besides the country needs those dollars for important projects in Zambia instead of printing ballots.

      I do remember very well that PF had issued a statement of intent to have ballots printed in country by government printers. What has changed now?
      I think Africa needs a huge revolution the size of the second world war for African leaders to begin to respect the will of the people. This revolution is on it way whether the foolish leaders like it or not…

    • Richard Sakala only supported PF after his tribesmate ECL ccame into power. Easterners plz lets love each other all of us aer one, not va wako ni wako or umodzi jumawa

    • Careful, do you know Sakala is an ex convict. Let us just keep all the criminals away from Elections – it is too dangerous a game to contemplate!!

    • @choosen one, your empty heard needs checking. These are elections we talking about which involves emotions. So, if the old man had no data, he should have kept it shut. You don’t speculate on national matters which u don’t understand and give others the job and challenges to verify. This old man should just rest…other dinosaurs are resting and quiet

  2. You Isaacs, how can you have intentions of awarding the contract before the tendering process is complete???.

  3. Look at the cheap crook (HH) embracing all common thugs and thieves. VJ of all people. Hakainde pretended to play clean politics for 10 years. Now that he’s been defeated countless times, the truth about his thuggery, crookedness, desperation and wickedness is being revealed for all Zambians to see. Look at him associate freely with killers, wife-beaters and cartel minions. You can’t F0OL people Hakainde, you serpent. Lucifer.

    • @Mr Kudos, how many times did Sata lose Presidential elections before he lost his life to “an unknown disease”? Three times. How many times has HH lost Pesidential elections in Zambia? Four times not so? So to you, three and four is a difference that raises eyebrows? Why are you now resorting to printing ballot papers in Dubai if you are simply not scared? Who is the real Lucifer? The PF and the likes of Frank Bwalya or HH? Frank slaughtered a chicken in full view of the general populace, so who is satanic between the two?

    • Richard is a devious hater and tri.ba.list. He hated SAta and PF but now he loves ECL with SAta’s PF- SHAME. Its disappointing to see that even some EAsterners are triba.ba.lists e;g Richard, Senior …Something and obviously RB. I thought Easterners and Nothers were the rational and moderate ones. MAY GOD HELP THIS COUNTRY

    • Richard Sakala, apart from being a convict, he is a hypocrite. It is only in Zambia where a convict can own a newspaper to mislead society! Morally, he should not have owned a newspaper! Where are our values as a people?

  4. God hates liars, thieves……HH is in mortal danger, his earthly ambitions are leading him to the dark.

  5. GOOD NEWS!! THE PRESIDENT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT POLICE HAVE FINALLY ARRESTED THE RITUAL KILLERS,CHECK ZNBC. BUT LET US PRESS FOR DETAILS,.

  6. Saulosi It is important even if you are a cadre to verify things for yourself. People are online here but can’t even do some basic verification for themselves but decide to take the word of an ex-convict as gospel truth. I did some basic internet search and this is what I found in a Ugandan paper. and I quote “Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House from the United Arab Emirates printed ballot papers (for district chairpersons, district directly-elected councillors and sub-county women councillors)”

  7. According to statements made by the Uganda Electrol Commission ballot papers for 2016 elections were printed in 3 countries namely: South Africa, Uganda and Dubai. The issue is which printer was used in Dubai and which ballots were printed. In 2011 and 2015 ECZ used a printer in South Africa. Why are they changing in 2016? These are the questions ECZ need to answer.

  8. Other companies expected to deliver ballot papers in the coming days include TALL Security Print Ltd of United Kingdom (for sub-county chairpersons and sub-county directly-elected councillors), Ms Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing House from the United Arab Emirates (for district chairpersons, district directly-elected councillors and sub-county women councillors), and Picfare Industries (for municipality mayors, municipality councillors and special interest group councillors).

    The Shs45 billion tender to the four companies was challenged by two other tenderers – South Africa-based Ren-Form CC Printers, and UK-based Kalamazoo Secure Solutions.

    Lets read and research on our own so that we have intelligent argument and not behave like kaponyas

    • @ Mwebantu

      You shouldn’t forget that with PF fanatical supporters and their role models in govt, reading and thinking are not their strong points. They are more at home with activities that require no thinking at all, like undressing a woman in public, waving pangas to elect their officials. Every time they attempt to think and try to implement a plan, that’s calculated to implicate the UPND, it unavoidably, always backfire and boomerangs right in their faces. GBM was arrested for training an army in broad day light at his gym using crude weapons to take on the defence forces of Zambia. And do you also remember the commandos that were deployed in Bweengwa to rescue abudcted PF govt officials? No one has been arrested yet and there won’t be nor is GBM’s case going anywhere.

  9. As long this company printed some ballots for Uganda it should be out. Any company that printed ballots for uganda should not be involved. Isaac Si ECZ ya nyina iyi.

  10. Daily Nation is an interested party just as VJ may be. The only difference is objectivity. VJ said “verify because there are reports that it is the firm that printed….”. VJ offered an objective opinion at the right opinion directed to all the stakeholders. Daily Nation is dwarfing that opinion and reduce it as though them as from heaven. This is the 1d10cy is amazing. Just why people like Sakala who chewed with the noticeable greedness in the past today will stand to dwarf a progressive opinion from a veteran citizen. Sakala has coined his paper just too early in partisan politics. It may be true that journalism in Zambia do really put food on the table of the owners of media houses but the under hand methods because if it did, journalists will report opibions as opinions than just…

  11. Get this: Daily Nation is an interested party just as VJ may be. The only difference is objectivity. VJ said “verify because there are reports that it is the firm which printed….”. VJ offered an objective opinion at the right time directed to all the stakeholders. Daily Nation is dwarfing that opinion and reduce it as though them are from heaven. This 1d10cy is amazing. Just why people like Sakala who chewed with the noticeable greedness in the past today will stand to dwarf a progressive opinion from a senior citizen. It may be true that journalism in Zambia DO NOT really put food on the table of the owners of media houses but the under hand methods because if it did, journalists will report opinions as opinions than just dwarfing those who seem to be against their paymasters.

  12. Since when did the Ex convict Daily Nation proprietor Richard Sakala become a spokesman for the ECZ. When did Sakala carry out those investigations which he telling us about? That shameless thief!!
    So Lungu and Mrs Isaac (the whore) think they can cheat all of in broad day light!! The ECZ is now run by that promiscuous BITCH/slut without any morals. Zambia is NOT Priscilla’s property and our Democracy is NOT for sale to the Arabs or ISIS. Elections are a serious matter to Zambians and Priscilla should NOT think it is the same as fuc.king and Sucking the OLD foreigners’ dic.ks like she has been doing since she was 15 years old. What an extremely Dirty woman without morals.

  13. Since when did the Ex convict Daily Nation proprietor Ri.chard Sak.ala become a spokesman for the ECZ. When did Sa.kala carry out those investigations which he telling us about? That shameless thief!!
    So Lungu and Mrs Isa.ac (the whore) think they can cheat all of in broad day light!! The ECZ is now run by that promiscuous BI.TCH/sl.ut without any morals. Zambia is NOT Priscilla’s property and our Democracy is NOT for sale to the Arabs or ISIS. Elections are a serious matter to Zambians and Pr.iscilla should NOT think it is the same as fuc.king and Sucking the OLD foreigners’ dic.ks like she has been doing since she was 15 years old. What an extremely Dirty woman!

    • You may insult Richard Sakala whichever way you want but V.J. is a senior citizen and should avoid issuing alarming statements! Where is wisdom in our elders?

  14. Drug (mandrax, cocaine, etc ) dealer Vernon Mwaanga is brain dead guys. Didn’t this guy get banned to enter UK because of his dealings in illicit drugs? Its time the youth of our country were taught that Zambians could travel to UK without the need to obtain a visa until this old shameless man messed things up for Zambia. He was caught with dangerous drugs called mandrax in UK.
    All these chaps in UPND have a terrible and horrifying backgrounds and people should not be deceived by them. Look at HH, GBM, William Banda, Maureen Mwanawasa, it’s a group of thieves? Violent and money lovers. They don’t have anything for Zambians.

  15. VJ is a veteran and a Senior Citizen of Zambia. It is VJ’s right and responsibilty to contribute towards a free,fair and credible elections in his country. The mishandling of these elections by ECZ could lead to chaos and violence which are not the interest of all Zambians. ECZ and all progressive people in Zambia should value VJ’s advice in this regard.

  16. Those are tongas and their upnd for you Zambians!!VJ Mwaanga is damn broke and he has put all his hopes of surviving beyond 2016 on hh!!VJ Mwaanga keep on ranting and you shall see who will vote for your “chuundu chaitwa” chairman hh so that he can bail you out from your suffering!!PLEASE ECZ PRINT BALLOT PAPERS ANYWHERE AND NEVER LISTEN TO DREAMERS IN UPND WHO CANNOT WIN ANY NATIONAL ELECTIONS DUE TO THEIR TRIBALISM!!”IFINTU NI LUNGU-2016!!”

  17. So that metal plate in his head has just exacerbated the lying, isn’t it? Why do Zambians just LIE without shame, especially these old guards with UNIP backgrounds?

  18. Let’s keep things simple here you witches.! VC being what he is a former cabinet minister, a respected leader of this country (well until now that he has associated with UPND), an acclaimed alleged rigger, has to and must verify his statements before he spews rubbish. Look how much anguish he has created amongst UPND cadres by that careless stupid statement, which even UPND are now distancing themselves from. This DNA, why is it like this kinship? Especially when they regroup!

  19. The bigger picture which has peplexed most Zambians & some stakeholders is that this damn ugry embacile man called isaac priscila wants to grab ECZ as if she really owns it, what a huge shame for these poor failures(pf). For Gods sake mama lsaac this nugget is for you! How do you just shortlist the bidders whilest the tendering process is ongoing? Something stinkie here! And for that matter to the printing company that you probably know brought manace to a named country. Dont take the whole lot of us Zambians for a stu.pid flighty you understand? Please woman before its down,wipe your damn dirty black aa.ss whore in this fa.kin game that you are about to play before you eventually die a very painful death woman! Lungu wil suffer alone & dont say l was not informed. I pend here!

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading