Elections Cancelled in Three Villages Over Chaos in Busia

The Electoral Commission has cancelled local council one elections in three villages within Uganda's Busia district following widespread chaos reported at polling stations. The affected villages are Solo B in Western Division, Buwumba village in Dabani sub-county, and Buhamuna village in Buhehe sub-county.

“

The chaos at Buhamuna started when the supporters of independent candidates realized that most of their names were not in the voters register.

Chaos erupted as some voters turned violent, obstructing presiding officers from verifying names on the voter register. Godfrey Budaha, the incumbent L.C. 1 chairperson and NRM candidate for Buhamuna village, alleged that his opponent's supporters stormed the polling station during the register verification. He claims they seized the register, tore it, and assaulted him, causing facial injuries. Budaha stated that a case of assault has been filed at the Busia Central police station, and a petition submitted to the NRM Party office demanding a fair electoral process.

“

They grabbed the register from the presiding officer and tore it into pieces.

Sylvester Offiti, the Buhehe sub-county community development officer, reported being hit on the head with a stick and sustaining injuries while attempting to de-escalate the chaos in his village. He has also reported this incident to the police. Another victim, Kacibert Bwire, attributed the chaos at Buhamuna to supporters of independent candidates who realized their names were missing from the voter register. He criticized security heads for failing to deploy adequate personnel to the polling stations.

“

In an attempt to intervene in the chaos at his village, he was hit on the head with a stick and sustained injuries.

Wilberforce Lwagula, the Busia district NRM party administrator, acknowledged concerns in the three villages and stated the party would engage the Electoral Commission to arrange repeat elections in the affected areas. He expressed satisfaction with the NRM's performance, claiming a nearly 95% win rate across the district. Flavia Ajambo, the Electoral Commission supervisor for Western Division, confirmed that cases of chaos were registered, leading to the cancellation on the advice of superiors. Esther Wamboka, the Busia district assistant returning officer, reiterated that presiding officers must verify voters against the register according to Electoral Commission guidelines. She condemned the unlawful acts and assured that new elections would be organized.

“

We are happy that the NRM party is winning with almost 95% across the district.