There is heavy deployment of Anti-Riot Police and the military in Kikuube District as voters go to the polls to elect their LCV Chairperson. Voters in the district will today vote to elect their district Chairperson following the death of the former Chairperson in a road crash. Two candidates are competing in the hotly contested by-election.
The candidates are Paddy Kisembo of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and Fenekansi Timanyire of the Unity Platform (NUP). By 7:00 a.m, security personnel had heavily been deployed across the sub-counties of Kabwoya, Buhimba, Kyangwali, Kizirafumbi, Buhimba town Council, Kikuube town Council and Bugambe.
According to Security officials, the deployment is aimed at maintaining peace and order during and after the election process. Julius Allan Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson says, the deployment is to protect voters and to ensure that no violence erupts before, during and after the by-election.
He says that security has identified potential hotspots where supporters of some candidates are allegedly planning to engage in violence. He urged the candidates, their agents and supporters to maintain order during and after polling.
Godwin Angalia, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner (RDC) warned candidates and their agents against voter bribery stating that it undermines the integrity of an election. Meanwhile, the distribution of polling materials began at 4:00 a.m. to all the 330 polling stations across the Kikuube.
The Kikuube District Returning Officer, Emmanuel Twiine, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) in an interview on Thursday morning that by 7:00 a.m., all sub-counties and polling stations had received the required polling materials. He further stated that polling stations will be opened in the presence of at least ten voters, who will act as witnesses.
Twiine has appealed to all eligible registered voters to turn up in large numbers to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Twiine further revealed that the Electoral Commission has dispatched Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs) to all the 330 polling stations to facilitate a smooth voting exercise. He added that IT personnel have been deployed on the ground to monitor the use of the machines.
He emphasised that political parties will be allowed to deploy polling agents at each polling station in accordance with electoral guidelines. He revealed that the commission had received intelligence indicating that some candidates and their agents are planning to bribe voters on polling day.
The by-election follows the death of former Kikuube District Chairperson Peter Banura, who died in a road crash on April 4, 2026, along the Hoima–Fort Portal Road. The road crash that claimed the life of Banura occurred at Butyamba cell, in Kikuube town Council.
Banura reportedly parked his official vehicle by the roadside and was speaking to a group of people when a speeding taxi rammed into them, killing him instantly. He was 48 years old. Statistics obtained from the Electoral Commission (EC) indicate that Kikuube district has 330 polling stations scattered within 27 parishes in seven sub-counties. The district has over 150,000 registered voters-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
