BREAKING NEWS: Security Investigates Basajjabalaba Over Alleged Confiscation of Delegates’ National IDs to Force Votes

Security agencies have launched investigations into serious allegations that Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba, the scandal-ridden Ishaka businessman has been confiscating National IDs of delegates ahead of the August 25th Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections, allegedly to hold them hostage and force them to vote for him.

The allegations, according to security sources, involve not only Basajjabalaba but also his daughter Mariam Basajjabalaba who is accused of physically collecting and withholding the IDs from selected delegates.

A senior security officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the allegations are being taken very seriously because similar tactics have been used in other electoral colleges in Uganda.

He noted that this practice, which was common during elections for Youth, Workers and Elderly MPs, involves candidates hiding delegates or confiscating their IDs so they cannot move freely or be reached by rival candidates. “If this is happening in the Entrepreneurs League, we shall act decisively,” the officer warned.

Another security chief familiar with the case described the practice as a form of voter hostage-taking and stressed that anyone caught will face criminal charges. “No one is above the law. The mere fact that this involves national identification documents makes it a national security matter,” the source stated.

Sources have also confirmed that Basajjabalaba has largely abandoned face-to-face campaigns with delegates after a series of heated confrontations in which delegates demanded answers about his record.

On several occasions, delegates are reported to have asked him what he achieved during his tenure from 2006 to 2016 and why his name appears in almost every corruption scandal in the country.

Unable to respond convincingly, Basajjabalaba is said to have withdrawn from open campaigning, instead sending his daughter Mariam to meet selected delegates. It is during such meetings that the alleged confiscation of delegates’ National IDs is said to have taken place.

A senior intelligence source hinted that both Basajjabalaba and his daughter could soon face formal charges if evidence links them to the alleged electoral malpractice. “If proven, this is criminal. We are pouncing on them with the full weight of the law,” the source warned.

This latest scandal comes against a backdrop of years of controversy surrounding Basajjabalaba.

He has previously been accused of monopolizing Entrepreneurs League funding for personal benefit, bribing delegates to secure his re-election, using public funds to finance campaign logistics, blocking opponents from accessing delegates, and influencing party structures through financial inducements and intimidation.

Already dogged by major national corruption scandals including the infamous Shs 142 billion government compensation saga, his controversial Kampala market tenders and the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council power struggles , the new allegations further tarnish the image of a businessman and leader whose political career has been defined by manipulation, self-enrichment and abuse of power.

As the countdown to August 25th continues, security sources say they are determined to ensure the Entrepreneurs League elections are free from coercion and that any candidate involved in illegal practices will face prosecution.

“We will not allow the capture of a democratic process by those who believe power can be bought or stolen,” a senior officer concluded.