Herbert Edmund Ariko wins Soroti East by-election

Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Herbert Edmund Ariko has been elected the Soroti East Member of Parliament. Ariko who contested on the National Resistance Movement-NRM party ticket defeated his closest rival Moses Attan Okia.

Ariko garnered 9,407 votes against Attan’s 8,771 votes. The Uganda Peoples’ Congress-UPC candidate, Pascal Amuriat got 115 votes.

Ariko was declared the winner at 10pm by the Soroti City Returning Officer, Christine Eyuu.

Last month, the Court of Appeal nullified the election of Attan after Ariko contested the results on grounds that his strongholds; Aloet and Opiyai wards were erroneously annexed to Soroti West, which he noted disfranchised more than 5,000 voters.

The polls were characterized by violence and reports of ballot stuffing, especially at Omalera, Otatai and Owolo polling stations.

Voting was also halted for more than two hours in Omalera B and Owalei polling stations after residents protested the exercise over ballot stuffing.

In Omalera B polling station, where 42 voters had cast their votes, the agents and electoral officers discovered more than 200 ballot papers stuffed in the ballot box in favour of the NRM candidate Herbert Edmund Ariko.

Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission chairperson asked the police to investigate the cases of violence that were reported at various polling stations.

Soroti East Constituency has 63 polling stations spread over 13 wards.

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