If “the path to true love isn’t always smooth”, how about the path to democracy?

Ugandans would like to say they live in a democracy but if the last week’s events are anything to go by, the country’s not there yet.

I have a feeling tonight’s set to be another noisy night. I live behind a high wall, next to Kampala’s railway track and the slums of Namuwongo slum. “Soweto” is one of the better known parts of the slum.

It’s quiet now but several hundred people have just passed by on the other side of the wall, cheering loudly. I expect it’s do with the election primaries being carried out across the country. Our house girl Eva will fill me in on the local gossip tomorrow!

Today’s Sunday Vision reports that “the (ruling) NRM (National Resistance Movement) party primaries for Kampala were yesterday called off following theft of the ballot papers.”

According to the acting chairperson of the Electoral Commission: “The ballot papers which were dispatched to Kampala in the evening of September 3 have been stolen and are in the hands of unscrupulous people who intend to rig the elections in Kampala.”

Last week a number of senior Government Ministers were voted out during the first stage of the primaries. They disputed the results and all hell broke loose.

Lady NRM candidate on the campaign trail in Jinja

According to the Daily Monitor newspaper: “It was evident that some ballots were ticked prior to the voting dates. Some incumbents are said to have ferried students from their schools in order to get more votes. In another region one candidate got more votes than the voters in the area – was this magic?”

It’s going to be an interesting few months …

The general election is due to take place in March.