By KT Reporter
Voting for the re-run of the Odravu Sub-County district female Councillor in Yumbe District has concluded, and vote counting is currently underway, despite a ballot paper error that included an ineligible candidate.
The re-run was triggered after the initial elections held on 22 January 2026 ended in a tie, with Kubra Bako of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and independent candidate Jesica Ayiru each securing 1,601 votes.
Election officials had expected only the two tied candidates to appear on the ballot. However, the details of Agolu Samsa, an independent candidate who was not supposed to contest, were mistakenly printed on the ballot papers.
In several polling stations visited by Uganda Radio Network, polling officers had to verbally instruct voters not to vote for the third candidate, ensuring that only votes for Kubra Bako and Jesica Ayiru would be valid.
Isaac Akile Drasi, the Odravu Sub-County Election Officer, acknowledged the anomaly and said that they received instructions from Benson Obete, the district election administrator for Yumbe, to allow the re-run to proceed as scheduled despite the error.
The voting process attracted low turnout, with polling officials largely idle in the afternoon as few voters turned up.
At Kenikule Mosque Polling Cell, Machule Parish, only 90 of 345 registered voters had cast their ballots by mid-morning.
Drati Mansur, a local voter, expressed hope that the re-run would finally bring clarity to the sub-county’s leadership:
“Voting is like football. Sometimes it ends in a draw. It has been a long wait, and we are eager to know who will represent us as our District Female Councillor.”
Another voter, Alice Ramulah, who cast her vote by 12:00 pm, noted that the first election had discouraged some residents.
“Several voters lost interest and got discouraged after the first elections ended in a tie between the two leading candidates,” she said.
Article 180(2)(b) of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended, demands that one‑third of the membership of each local government council be reserved for women.
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