The Electoral Commission (EC) will today (Saturday) hold fresh Local Council I (LC1) elections in five cells of Hoima City. This was after elections were suspended in the cells following violence that erupted during Tuesday’s election. The affected cells are Lusaka Upper, Ishaka Upper, Kyarwabuyamba South, Kiryatete Lower and Park Cell.
The Voters in the affected cells on Tuesday turned rowdy, protesting missing names and irregularities in the voter registers. The situation compelled the Electoral Commission to suspend the elections following incidents in which voters fought among themselves, and others clashed with police officers deployed to provide security.
Obra Atamba, the Hoima City Returning Officer, confirmed to Uganda Radio Network (URN) in an interview that elections in the affected cells will be conducted today (Saturday). She says all the irregularities that existed during Tuesday’s elections have been corrected and appealed to residents in the affected areas to turn up in large numbers to participate in the elections but warned against disruption of the elections.
She says EC will liaise with the police to ensure heightened security at the polling stations. Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson, has assured the public of heightened security deployment before, during and after the elections, warning that anyone who disrupts the elections will be dealt with decisively.
Hoima city has 146 cells scattered across the two divisions of Hoima West and Hoima East. The LC1 chairperson elections are conducted through an open voting system, in which voters line up behind a candidate, the candidate’s agent, portrait, or symbol.
The elections are a key stage in Uganda’s electoral cycle because LC1 chairpersons serve as the first link between citizens and government. They oversee community security, mediate disputes, verify official documents, mobilize residents for government programmes, and coordinate local development initiatives.
Established under Article 176 of the 1995 Constitution and operationalized through the Local Governments Act, Local Councils are intended to promote citizen participation, accountability and decentralized service delivery-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
