Police in Mbarara District on Friday arrested three people and fired teargas to disperse residents from Kiiho and Rwansinga villages in Rubaya Sub-county who were marching to the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to demand an explanation over the cancellation of their Local Council I (LC I) re-elections.
The residents said the Electoral Commission had earlier communicated that fresh elections would be held on August 1 in all villages where the July 24 polls had been cancelled.
However, they became frustrated after discovering that Kiiho and Rwansinga had not been included on the list of villages scheduled for repeat elections.
The protesters, who said they intended to peacefully petition the RDC, were intercepted by police led by Mbarara District Police Commander Benon Byamukama before reaching the district headquarters.
Niwagaba Eliazari, the incumbent chairperson of Rwansinga Cell, said residents had formally written to the RDC following the cancellation of the elections but had received no response.
He said they wanted authorities to clarify whether fresh elections would be conducted in the two villages, warning that they would seek legal redress if no action was taken.
Abdul Bwengye, one of the candidates in Kiiho Village, said residents had organised a peaceful demonstration after failing to get clear answers from electoral officials. He said they had earlier petitioned the Mbarara District Election Administrator, who advised them to challenge the matter in court.
When contacted, Mbarara District Election Administrator William Twinamatsiko said he had already advised the aggrieved residents on the available legal avenues and was surprised to learn that they had opted to stage a protest.
Resident District Commissioner Nicholas Nuwagiira, who was away from his office at the time of the demonstration, also advised the affected residents to seek legal redress through the courts if they were dissatisfied with the electoral process.
Rwizi Region Police spokesperson Samson Kasasira confirmed the protest and the use of teargas to disperse the demonstrators but said he had not yet received details regarding the identities of the three people arrested or the offences they were facing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
