Defeated Nansana Local Council I Candidates Allege Election Irregularities

What the report says

Nile Post reports that several unsuccessful candidates in the recent Local Council I chairperson elections in Nansana Municipality have rejected the declared outcomes, alleging irregularities in the voting and tallying process. The candidates claim the exercise was not transparent and that some people announced as winners were not the candidates who prevailed at polling level. They pointed to areas including Nabweru South Cell II and Nabweru-Kisawe as examples of disputed results.

One losing candidate, Yusuf Sempagama Kaye of Nabweru South Cell II, told Nile Post that the process became disorderly after electoral officials allegedly allowed unverified people, including some whose names had not been called from the register, to join voting lines. He also alleged that votes were not counted in front of candidates and said he learned only later that another person had been declared winner. Nile Post reported that security personnel fired warning shots during the confusion, causing some voters to flee.

Political party officials offered competing accounts of the broader results. Nansana Municipality NUP chairperson Steven Mukalazi questioned the conduct of the elections and said some winners had not been officially announced, while also claiming NUP secured 24 LC I chairperson seats. NRM municipal chairperson Sam Gayire said the ruling party won more than 70 of the municipality’s 130 villages.

Nansana Resident District Commissioner Charles Lwanga defended the exercise, saying it was generally peaceful apart from isolated attempts by some youths to disrupt voting. LC I chairpersons are the lowest elected local government leaders in Uganda, so disputes over their election can affect village-level administration, local order and implementation of government programmes.