The Electoral Commission allowed a fresh voter registration exercise in 12 villages in Busia District after violence during the recent Local Council I (LCI) elections destroyed all voter registers, making it impossible to conduct the polls.
The affected villages include Buhamuna, Nangodo A, Gondohero, Sibona, Muganiro, Buhasaba, Mawanga and Bulwenge, among others, all located in Buhehe Sub-county.
Joan Aduru, the Busia District Returning Officer, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that the decision followed consultations with the Electoral Commission headquarters after election materials were destroyed during the violence. She said the fresh registration exercise has been running for the past two days, with the elections set for Friday.
However, the exercise has already attracted complaints from some residents, who allege irregularities in the registration process. Amos Regular, a resident of Nangodo A village, welcomed the Electoral Commission’s decision to conduct fresh registration but claimed that some registration officials were denying eligible residents the opportunity to register without explanation.
Another resident, Gilbert Ojambo, alleged that registration officials were enrolling underage children and mixing up National Identification numbers, raising concerns about the credibility of the process.
He said he fears the elections scheduled for Friday may not reflect the will of the people if the reported irregularities are not addressed.
Hillery Ouma also complained that members of his family had been denied registration despite being well-known residents of Nangodo village. He appealed to the Electoral Commission to conduct the exercise fairly and transparently.
Busia Resident District Commissioner Hajira Namagogwe said security agencies had been deployed to ensure the registration exercise proceeds peacefully.
She acknowledged that Buhehe Sub-county has experienced repeated election-related violence but said authorities were determined to complete the registration and conduct the postponed elections on Friday.
By the time of filing this story, the registration exercise was still ongoing. Several residents who claimed they had been unfairly excluded from the voters’ register were seen heading to the Buhehe Sub-county headquarters to lodge complaints with election officials-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
