Team
There was standoff at Limo Te-Atura polling station (OI-LZ) in Pece-Laroo division, Gulu city after ballot boxes were brought without lead covers, sparking tense protest as Ugandans elect District and City Local Government officials on Thursday.
The standoff began at about 6:30 a.m. when Electoral Commission (EC) officials delivered voting materials that included three transparent ballot boxes without lead covers. Voters who had assembled early in anticipation of the 7:00 a.m. start questioned how ballot papers would be secured without the covers.
Tensions escalated hours later when EC officials returned with three transparent buckets purchased locally as a temporary substitute, further angering already frustrated voters. Some residents demanded the suspension of voting at the station, arguing that the integrity of the process had been compromised.
Apart this problem, the voting materials were delivered without basins for voters to use while marking their ballots. They had to borrow six basins from the community to help the process move.
An EC official at the polling station attributed the shortage of ballot box covers to logistical errors during distribution, noting that some polling stations reportedly took more materials than required. The official appealed to voters to accept the temporary arrangement, assuring them that the ballots would remain secure.
At the insistence of voters and candidates’ agents, the edges of the transparent buckets were cut with knives to allow the fitting of security seals.
Unlike in last week’s presidential and parliamentary elections, where delays were caused by the late arrival of voting materials and malfunctioning Biometric Voter Verification Kits, today the delays are being caused by voters themselves.
Across the country, voting materials arrived at polling stations as early as 6:00 a.m., with voting scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m.
However, by 9:00 a.m., many polling stations had yet to commence voting.
The delays are largely due to the absence of the mandatory 10 voters required to witness the opening of the black box containing voting materials.
In Gulu City, voting was delayed in several polling stations including at Layibi Central Primary School, Holy Rosary, 4th division playgrounds and Pece primary.
Similar case was also registered at a number of polling stations in Omoro district where voting materials arrived at polling stations early but no voters in sight.
In Gulu district, voting materials arrived at some polling stations including Paicho primary school, Tegot and Laminto late at around 10am.
Similarly, in Amuru district, voting materials also arrived late by 9am in some polling stations including Pader trading center and Ajuku Manyige.
In Nwoya district, several polling stations also registered significant low voter turn-up.
At Got Ngur Primary School Polling Station A-C only three voters had cast their ballots by 9:53am, out of 193 registered voters. At Got Ngur D-Z, also in Purongo, 73 voters had voted by 10:01am from a total of 368 registered voters.
In Anaka Town Council, Anaka Primary School Polling Station L-Z recorded nine voters by 8:25am, out of 407 registered voters.
In Kitgum Municipality, elections started late on polling day, with low voter turnout reported at several polling stations.
Joe Ochola, the presiding officer at Ayul A South Tee Cwa K-Z Polling Station in Pager Division, said voting only began at around 10:12 a.m.
At Ayul A South Tee Cwa in Pager B Parish, Thomas Opoka, a polling assistant, said the 10 witnesses who were required to inspect the polling materials arrived at 10:15 a.m., and voting started at 10:27 a.m.
In Lira City, most polling stations in Angwetangwet Ward, City East Division, had not received materials by 8:00 a.m.
Elections in some parts of Mityana municipality failed to start voting by 10am due to lack on the required number of voters who have to verify the voting material.
