The Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed 13 election officials who were deployed in Busia District over allegations of tampering with the voters’ register during the recently concluded Local Council I (LC I) elections.
Those dismissed include Buhehe Sub-county Supervisor Andrew Ogema and all 12 village registrars assigned to manage the electoral process in the sub-county.
The officials are accused of altering village registers and colluding with some election contestants, actions the Commission says violated their responsibilities.
The affected villages include Buhamuna, Bulamba A, Sigala Magina, Nangodo, Bugunduhira, Mawanga, Gondohera, Buyuha, Mudiho, Muganiro and Sibona.
Busia District Returning Officer Joan Aduru said the officials were dismissed after investigations found that their actions forced the Electoral Commission to repeat elections in some villages, resulting in financial losses and triggering violence during the polls. English audio:
However, Andrew Ogema denied the allegations, insisting that neither he nor his team tampered with the voters’ register.
tHe argued that the dismissal was unfair, saying the officials carried out their duties as required but were overwhelmed by violence and disputes among residents that were beyond their control. English audio:
//Cue in: “I’m the sub-county… Cue out: “…doing what was going on.”//
One of the dismissed village registrars, Francis Egesa, who was attached to Sibona Village, also defended his conduct.
He said the confusion arose after some residents challenged the use of an old voters’ register, despite registrars following guidelines issued by the Electoral Commission during the registration exercise.
Egesa expressed disappointment that they had been dismissed despite carrying out their assignments as instructed-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
