Voting materials destroyed in Sembabule residual elections

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Voting has been cancelled at Kabundi polling station in Mateete sub county, Sembabule district after chaos erupted over allegations of ballot stuffing.

The elections were called off last week due to mix-up in candidates particulars.

However, the residual elections have been marred with serious irregularities leading to violence.

It all began after agents of National Unity Platform- NUP led by Grace Nakamamya, the councillor-elect for Kabundi Parish turned rowdy and confiscated election materials, vandalized the boxes, and tore all the ballot papers alleging massive ballot stuffing.

The group of angry NUP supporters raided the polling station accusing the presiding officers of conniving with National Resistance Movement-NRM to rig the elections through ballot stuffing.

Nakamanya accuses the police of escorting groups of people that are moving around the area with ballot papers pre-ticked in favour of the NRM candidate Wahab Kabaliisa.

According to Nakamanya, their competitors have deliberate plans of causing chaos at the various polling stations before they can accomplish their mission which she says they are committed to resist by all means.

Edward Kasendwa, the NUP candidate contesting for the position of Mateete LC V councillor says that the residue elections are marred with widespread abnormalities that are intended to disadvantage him.  He also insists that despite the harassment and intimidation minted against his camp by security personnel in the area, they will frustrate any efforts of election malpractices.

George Ssebulime, the independent candidate says that his teams are still struggling to block all attempts of ballot stuffing by his NRM opponents.

But Kabaliisa declined to comment about the allegations arguing that he was still in the field supervising the election.

Livingstone Mugasira, the district returning officer when contacted noted that his office has not obtained reports related to any anomalies. He however indicated that their teams are in the field to monitor the process after which they make a report of what happened and the likely effects.

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