Agency
As the National Resistance Movement (NRM) gears up for its parliamentary primaries this Thursday, concerns are mounting over the use of schools as polling stations and the risk of violence disrupting learning.
With just hours to the election, the Ministry of Education and Sports has left it to district officials to decide whether schools can be used as polling centers.
Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary, clarified that District Education Officers (DEOs) and Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) have the discretion to approve or deny the use of school premises.
She stressed, however, that if schools are used as polling centers, learners must stay home to safeguard their safety.
Across Uganda, schools often double as community hubs and are routinely used as polling centers.
But with the NRM’s internal elections historically marred by violence, many headteachers and district officials are uneasy.
In NRM strongholds, where opposition presence is limited, primaries are often de facto elections, and competition is fierce. Past primaries have seen chaotic scenes.
Security agencies have been deployed to contain violence and intimidation.
Still, public anxiety remains high, with social media posts warning of “familiar fears of violence and malpractice” in several districts.
