The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There was panic and confusion in Kakiri Town Council in Wakiso District this morning following the disappearance of reusable electoral materials from Kikandwa and Magogo parishes.
The missing materials included eleven white light ballot boxes and other materials, which according to the Electoral Commission guidelines had to remain at different sub-counties and town council headquarters after the presidential and parliamentary elections last week.
Electoral officials learnt about the missing materials on Tuesday night while preparing for the district and mayoral elections. Amos Ssaazi, the Kikandwa parish election supervisor says that they don’t know how the materials vanished given the fact that all reusable materials were collected and stored at Kakiri sub county headquarters after last week’s elections.
“I was so surprised to find out that several items were missing. I asked the presiding officers in the area to account for them but everyone insisted that they delivered the material from their polling stations to the collection center,” Ssaazi told Uganda Radio Network.
Although, the remaining voting material was delivered as earlier as 6: 00 am at several polling stations within the district, by 8:00 am the affected polling stations had not received their materials as Electoral Commission officials were running up and down to sort the matter.
Ssaazi says that at one time they sought help from the district returning officer with the hope that they would receive additional material only to be told there was no extra reusable material. As a result, the presiding officers started exploring the alternative of replacing the material with boxes
However, after hours of delay, the missing boxes resurfaced mysteriously. Stanley Ssozi, the Kakiri election supervisor, who oversees all supervisors in the area, didn’t give clear explanation of how they recovered the boxes.
“After distributing to other areas, we found the missing materials on the distribution vehicle,” Ssozi noted. The development caused unrest among candidates and their supporters.
Simon Nsubuga, the Wakiso District DP LC V candidate, says although the boxes have been recovered, the matter cannot be overlooked given the fact that there have been concerns of vote-rigging in the area.
Moses Mayanja, the National Resistance Movement-NRM candidate also raised suspicion about the incident. “In elections everything is done for a purpose. Nothing can happen without a reason. I have sent my team to touch base and establish what transpired. But it’s good that now voting has started,” he said.
Voters are casting their ballots for LC V chairpersons, city mayors and city and district councillors. In Wakiso district, the LC V race has attracted five candidates including the National Unity Platform-NUP candidate, Matia Lwanga Bwanika who is seeking his third term, JEEMA’s Ahmed Kaweesa Bigali and NRM’s Moses Mayanja.
Others are Moses Sseryazi, the FDC candidate and DP’s Simon Nsubuga, the incumbent Wakiso district speaker who thrice attempted to impeach Bwanika in vain.
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