Residents not aware of Voter Location Slips

With just five days left for the close of the issuance of Voter Location Slips (VLS), many citizens say they have not been educated about the extra document issued by the Electoral Commission (EC) to enable them know where they will cast their vote from.

A survey conducted by Daily Monitor in various parts of the country also shows that while some voters names appear on the national register, they don’t have VLS and those that have them at parish level where they are issued, don’t appear on the register.

West: In Ntungamo District, residents say they have not been educated about the issuance and use of the VLS. Most think the national identity card is all they need to cast their vote on February 18.
“Are they going to give us other cards for voting? I am not aware of that. Does it mean I won’t vote if I don’t have that card? When are we getting them?” said Mr Dickens Agaba, a lecturer at Rap Tech institute in Ntungamo.

Many other residents say if the EC is to issue the cards, they won’t be successful because of time.

The district registrar, Mr Robert Baine, was not available to comment as he could not pick up our repeated calls. However, an official with the district registrar’s office who asked not be named, said they have not yet received the VLS from EC.

Mbarara District registrar Dan Kamusiime Ruhemba said the slips are already at parishes and in villages. He said a number of people have accessed them.

Mr Deus Tumusiime, a resident, said his wife Ms Kanoel Tumusiime picked up all voter location slips for his family on Sunday. However, Mr Nathan Mutungi and Robert Bagume from Ndaija Sub-county said yesterday they were not aware about the issuance of the said voter location slips. Mr Mutungi said EC should create more awareness.

Gulu: Gulu Municipality residents turned up in great numbers to pick their voters location slips. In most parts of Gulu Municipality where Daily Monitor visited, residents could be seen in long lines waiting in anticipation.
Mr Caesar Oyet, the parish supervisor Library Ward in Layibi Division, told Daily Monitor yesterday that they have been overwhelmed by the great turn up since last week when the exercise kicked off.
“At least in a day, I issue out more than 300 voter location slips to registered voters. I haven’t registered any complaint of missing names ever since we started this exercise” Mr Oyet said. Ms Doreen Anena, a resident, acknowledged that she had already picked up her voters location slip.

Teso/Soroti: Voters in Soroti District expressed mixed feelings on the exercise. Some voters that Daily Monitor talked to say they are very happy and they portray it as an assurance to participate in the coming elections while others castigate it as a mockery to Ugandans who have voted in past elections.

Mr Ali Ramathan, a resident of Cell ‘G’ in Eastern Division in Soroti Municipality, says he has picked up his voters location slip for formality as a Ugandan but he is not going to vote.

“I am going to keep my documents as a Ugandan to help me move freely but I am not going to vote because of vote rigging. I hate voting without seeing any change,” said Mr Ramathan, calling for a return of term limits.

Mr Ratib Bwire and Mr Muhamad Majanja said they are happy because they have picked up their VLS.
However, some complained that the time given for picking the voter’s location slip seems to be very short. The exercise that began on February 1 ends on February 14.

Mr Washington Otai, the parish supervisor for Central Ward, says the issuance of the slips is tiresome.

“This is a tedious exercise which is likely to take long yet the time is very short. In the municipality here, most voters are business people, so finding them is very difficult,” said Mr Otai.

The district returning officer, Mr John Paul Osinde, urged the voters to pick up the slips, saying it is for their own benefit. “It’s important that people carry these slips on the voting day and is a reason we are distributing them a few days to the elections. We are avoiding situations where people would come complaining that they have lost them,” said Mr Osinde.

According to Mr Osinde, the EC has not sent any money for mobilisation and he has advised his parish supervisors to move door-to-door during the distribution period.

Jinja:In Jinja District, residents seemed ignorant of voter location slip issuance. The residents who spoke to Daily Monitor said they do not know about the exercise.

Mr Charles Balondamu, a businessman, said as long as he has got the National ID, he is assured of voting. He said the voter location slip is a new invention.

“At first, they told us when you have the national ID, you can vote but this voter location slip I am not sure of it because I already know where I will vote from,” Mr Balondamu said.

However, Ms Mariam Nakiwolo, 23, said she was disappointed by the electoral officials who denied her an ID “because it has no date in the computer system.”

At Jinja Central West Parish, residents came to pick up their voter location slips but found no officials to attend to them.

Efforts to get a comment from the district returning officer, Mr Tony Mwaita, were futile as he was said to be locked in a meeting with parish and sub-county supervisors.

Reported by Perez Rumanzi, Fred Anyine, Stephen Okello, Joseph Eigu Onyango & Denis Edema