Sembabule's Lugusuulu Residents Protest Election of Village Chairperson

What the report says

Residents of Lugusuulu Village in Katwe Sub-county, Sembabule District, are protesting the election of their village chairperson, alleging that the process was affected by problems with the voters’ register. According to Nile Post, residents said some eligible voters’ names were missing, while other names on the register belonged to people they did not recognize as village residents.

The residents staged a demonstration in the village with placards, calling for a review of the vote and asking State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs Balaam Barugahara to help resolve the dispute. They claimed they were first told the election would be repeated after complaints were raised, but later learned that a chairperson had already been declared and sworn in. They also expressed concern about public order and said the disagreement could worsen tensions in a village they described as already facing crime-related problems.

The District Electoral Commission officer in Sembabule, Gracious Aryeija, rejected the allegations. He said the vote went ahead normally and that the contest was between Moses Kaweesi and Gaadi Ssebusumba. Aryeija said Kaweesi won with 39 votes against 23 for Ssebusumba and was duly declared the winner. He urged anyone dissatisfied with the outcome to use the formal electoral complaints process. The dispute leaves residents and election officials at odds over whether the village leadership contest was properly conducted.