Residents across Uganda turned up to elect Local Council I (LC1) chairpersons on Tuesday, although the pace of the exercise varied sharply, with some villages recording large early crowds while others remained almost deserted hours after polling stations opened.
In Nabweru, Wakiso District, hundreds of residents had gathered at the Nabweru South III playground before 7:00 a.m. to elect their village chairperson. Supporters dressed in NRM and NUP colours clustered around their preferred candidates as elderly voters arrived carrying stools to wait for the exercise.
Musa Muzzanganda said the village election was the most important because LC1 chairpersons are the first leaders residents turn to for day-to-day community issues. “The chairperson is more important than most of those politicians we elect, and that is why people are coming this morning to vote,” he said.
A similar scene unfolded at the Avance University grounds, where residents of Nabweru II assembled early. Nearby, there was no voting in Nabweru South I after incumbent Dorothy Nankya was declared unopposed, although officials feared some residents might attempt to vote in neighbouring villages.
The picture was different in several other districts, where polling stations remained largely empty. In Luwero and Wobulenzi town councils, only a handful of voters had turned up by 8:00 a.m. At Kavule Zone, incumbent LC1 chairperson Wilson Mukiibi said only four of the area’s 700 registered voters had appeared, although he expected numbers to increase later in the morning.
By contrast, villages in Kamira Town Council registered between 50 and 150 voters at several polling stations. Local leaders attributed the turnout to closely contested races between NRM and NUP candidates. Luwero District Returning Officer Moses Rwanks Kiconco said all polling materials had reached polling stations before voting began, while police reported that the exercise remained peaceful.
In Moroto Municipality, election officials sat waiting for both candidates and voters at Labour Line Cell hours after polling stations opened. Electoral officer Aron Lorok said all materials were in place but expected residents to begin arriving around 9:00 a.m.
In Lira City, only 10 voters had gathered at Barlwala Polling Station in Angwetangwet Ward by 8:45 a.m., while at Adyel Kasubi Polling Station only polling agents were present. In Mbarara City, Deputy Resident City Commissioner Gerrard Tukamuhabwa warned unregistered people against attempting to disrupt the elections, saying security agencies had identified potential hotspots.
At St Mary’s Polling Station, polling assistant James Aguma said he arrived at 7:30 a.m. to find the station empty, although voters started arriving about half an hour later. The LC1 chairperson there was elected unopposed, leaving residents to vote only for members of the village executive committee.
Kabale also presented mixed scenes. At Bugongi Road Village in Northern Division, there were neither voters nor election officials by 9:00 a.m., despite a three-way contest. Elsewhere, at Nyakeirima Village, residents had begun gathering as youths blew vuvuzelas to alert voters.
No security personnel had been deployed there by press time. Polling stations across Soroti City also opened with little activity. Most centres, including Veronica Catholic Church, Soroti Islamic Primary School, Ojambula, B1 and A8, had no voters, although campaign agents continued chanting slogans in support of their candidates.
Hajjat Aisha Lubega Basajjanaku, the Electoral Commission Deputy Chairperson for Eastern Uganda, urged residents to participate, saying the election determines leaders who are directly accountable to their communities. She also reminded voters that the practice of lining up behind candidates is provided for under the Local Government Act.
Elsewhere in Moroto, only a few voters waited at polling stations as candidates dispatched supporters on motorcycles to mobilise residents and offer transport to polling centres. Several voters said the elections had become more competitive than in previous years despite the limited campaign period.
In Hoima District, election officials reported a smooth start. Distribution of polling materials began at 7:00 a.m., with all villages in several sub-counties receiving supplies by 8:00 a.m. Returning Officer Hassan Takwana urged candidates to avoid violence and voter bribery.
Police in the Albertine region said they were prepared to deal with anyone who attempted to disrupt the electoral process. In Fort Portal, voting at Mugoma A Cell had not begun by 8:20 a.m. because officials were still completing gazettement procedures before voter verification.
By 9:00 a.m., several polling stations in Arua City continued to record low turnout, with many residents saying they planned to arrive closer to the official voting time. Under the Electoral Commission programme, polling stations open at 7:00 a.m. for voter verification, followed by voter education and briefing.
Voting for LC1 chairpersons begins at 11:00 a.m. through lining up behind candidates. Once the chairperson has been elected, the village council—comprising all registered residents present—nominates and approves members of the village executive committee before the exercise concludes-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
