Violence, disputes over voter eligibility and allegations of electoral irregularities disrupted Local Council I (LC1) chairperson elections in several parts of Kagadi District on Tuesday, forcing the Electoral Commission to postpone or cancel voting in some villages. Although polling was completed peacefully in many areas, a mini-survey conducted by Uganda Radio Network (URN) found that elections in parts of Kagadi Town Council, Rutete Town Council, Rugashali Town Council and Muhorro Town Council were marred by violence, disagreements over voters’ registers and accusations of voter bribery.
In Kagadi Town Council, polling was disrupted in Muhumbu, Kagadi Taxi Park, Nankurabye, Ikuma and Mambugu cells, where Electoral Commission officials and security personnel intervened to restore order. In Mambugu Cell, police arrested a man allegedly found in possession of fake voter allocation slips. Authorities had not released the suspect’s identity or provided further details by the time of filing this report. The election in the area was subsequently postponed.
In Nankurabye Cell, National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Harriet Nyakato and her supporters boycotted the voting process before rejecting the outcome after independent candidate George Kibirango was declared winner with 138 votes. Village Registrar Bagonza Fahad said he had submitted all election materials to the Electoral Commission, which will determine the next course of action.
In Muhumbu Cell, independent candidate and Kagadi businessman Julius Nsubuga won the LC1 chairperson seat with 345 votes during polling conducted under tight security at Bunyoro College Secondary School. However, NRM incumbent Andrew Kisembo and National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Florence boycotted the election, alleging irregularities. Kisembo has since petitioned the Kagadi District Electoral Commission, demanding a fresh election on grounds that some of Nsubuga’s supporters were not residents of Muhumbu Cell.
Nsubuga thanked residents for electing him and pledged to serve the community diligently. Meanwhile, NRM candidate Deogratious Byaruhanga won the Kagadi Taxi Park Cell LC1 race with 125 votes, defeating independent candidate Mpoza Stephen, who received three votes, and Kusiima Vincent, who polled 72 votes. In Namilyango Cell, incumbent John Baptist Kisembo was declared unopposed after his challenger, Bosco Kanaabe, withdrew from the race during the voting process.
Other provisional results from Kagadi Town Council showed Joseph Sunday winning the Kibanga Cell LC1 chairperson seat with 90 votes, while Edward Asiimwe was elected in Pida Ikuma Cell after polling 138 votes. In Rutete Town Council and Rutete Sub-county, voting was temporarily disrupted after unregistered residents attempted to participate in the elections.
The incidents occurred in Rutete East and Kinyarwanda Trading Centre, where residents argued that they should be allowed to vote because they were indigenous members of the affected villages despite their names not appearing on the official voters’ register. The disagreement prompted the Electoral Supervisor for Rutete Town Council to call in police officers to restore order.
Electoral officials later clarified that only persons whose names appeared on the village voters’ register were eligible to vote, regardless of whether they were indigenous residents. Voting later resumed peacefully. Independent candidate Tadeo Kitone defeated NRM incumbent Efraimu Tumuhimbise to win the Rutete East LC1 chairperson seat with 98 votes. In Rutete West, NRM candidate Milton Ndyareba won with 142 votes, defeating Behangana James, who received 36 votes.
Independent candidate Willy Amutuhaire won the Nyakabingo Village contest with 35 votes, defeating incumbent NRM candidate Cyrus Twinoomugisa, while Enos Tugume was elected unopposed as LC1 chairperson for Rutete Central. The newly elected leaders pledged to improve service delivery and promote local development, while residents urged them to prioritise the fight against corruption.
Violence also broke out in Rugashali Town Council after residents accused Electoral Commission officials of issuing voter cards to non-residents. The situation escalated when a registered voter who had temporarily left the polling station was allegedly denied re-entry by a police officer attached to Rugashali Police Post. The voter reportedly attacked the officer, prompting the officer to fire live rounds into the air to disperse an angry crowd.Calm was later restored following the intervention of Electoral Commission officials from the district headquarters, allowing polling to resume. Independent incumbent Paul Nfitimukiza was subsequently re-elected after defeating NRM candidate Kurunel Isingoma.
However, Isingoma and some of his supporters boycotted the voting process, alleging that Nfitimukiza had colluded with the village registrar to include non-residents, particularly bar attendants, on the voters’ register. According to the declared results, Nfitimukiza secured 264 votes.
Isingoma rejected the outcome and said he would petition higher authorities for a fresh election, insisting he would only accept the results of a free and fair process. Nfitimukiza thanked residents for renewing their confidence in him and pledged to promote development and wealth creation. Voting at Muhorro Town Church Polling Station in Muhorro Town Council was cancelled after disputes over the voters’ register left more than 670 registered voters unable to cast their ballots.
Voters and candidates accused election officials of using an inaccurate register, claiming that some voters had been transferred to Muhorro Muslim Polling Station without their knowledge. The dispute sparked protests and required police intervention. However, the matter remained unresolved, forcing Electoral Commission officials to suspend voting pending further guidance.
Some candidates also alleged that the register contained names of non-residents. The polling supervisor said fresh elections would be organised after the register had been corrected. Meanwhile, police are searching for Tumusiime Wicklif, an LC1 candidate in Kyarusa Cell, who allegedly destroyed declaration of results forms after failing to secure any votes.
Elsewhere, NRM candidate Kisembo Mukonyezi Asuman won the Nyamanga Polling Station election with 226 votes, defeating NUP’s Ajuna Adolf, who received six votes. At Kihereza Polling Station, independent candidate Omuhereza Kitara Mugisa won with 232 votes, narrowly defeating Byaruhanga Kaija, who polled 208 votes. Kagadi District Electoral Commission Registrar Mercy Ataho said that despite isolated incidents, the elections were largely peaceful.
She confirmed that polling was postponed in Mambugu Cell in Kagadi Town Council, Kanyegaramire Cell in Kyenzige Town Council, Kanyabebe LC1 in Kanyabebe Sub-county, and Kasoga Trading Centre and Nyambeho Village in Muhorro Sub-county following violence and other disruptions. Ataho said the Electoral Commission would issue further guidance and announce fresh polling dates for the affected areas-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
