LC elections: protest as 12 villages in Pader are omitted from voters’ register

What the report says

The Observer reports that residents in 12 villages in Acholibur Sub-county, Pader district, may be excluded from Uganda’s upcoming Local Council I elections because the villages are not listed on the Electoral Commission register. LC I polls are scheduled for July 28, 2026, with LC II elections set for August 10. The affected villages are in Wiigweng, Omeda, Ogago, Gem-Onyot and Got Okong parishes.

Acholibur sub-county chairperson James Obalim told The Observer the villages were created in 2021 after community approval and that documents, including council resolutions, were forwarded to Pader district. He said the Electoral Commission later indicated that gazetting administrative units is handled by the chief administrative officer and district planner, not the Commission. District leaders say the villages have been treated as official units, including through government programmes, recognised village leaders and government-issued stamps.

District councillor Godwin Wokorach and Pader district chairperson Alfred Akena said the situation has angered communities that have been receiving public services but now face being left out of LC I voting. Officials cited in the report said the Commission initially received 871 of Pader’s 877 villages, while six with matching names required clarification from the Ministry of Local Government. The 12 Acholibur villages, however, were reportedly not part of the submission received by the Commission.

Pader District Woman MP Lowila CD Oketayot said she had raised the issue with the Ministry of Local Government. State minister Justine Nsubuga Nameere said the ministry would investigate why villages with official stamps were omitted and advise on the next step. If unresolved before polling day, residents in the affected villages could lose the chance to elect their LC I leaders.