2021: Parties want voter register vetting extended

Opposition political parties have asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the period for the verification of the national voters’ register to allow more Ugandans to participate in the exercise.

They insisted that the one-week verification period that ended on Monday wasn’t enough for those that planned to travel to their various places of origin to verify their details.

Other institutions such as schools and universities that hold bigger numbers of youth, who are potential voters according to the Opposition, were not accorded the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

The Democratic Party (DP) Secretary General, Mr Gerald Siranda, yesterday said majority of Ugandans did not verify their particulars on the national voters’ register because the exercise wasn’t well publicised. “The EC just wanted to paint a picture that they had done something different from the former management,” Mr Siranda said.

“DP president general for instance did not verify his name because he was hospitalised,” he added.
The EC rolled out the verification exercise of the National Voters’ Register last week for eight days across 65,200 villages countrywide amid allegations that most of the supervisors were handpicked from National Resistance Movement (NRM party).
Mr Jimmy Akena, the president of a section of Uganda Peoples Congress, said the exercise needed more time. “We have information that the supervisors were favouring the NRM party. We shall issue a formal complaint to the EC because we are not satisfied,” Mr Akena claimed.
Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, the spokesperson of People Power pressure group, said: “We encouraged our members to go for the exercise although there is need for the EC to take the process more seriously. We hope in the next phase things will be better.”

Forum for Democratic Change officials remained tight-lipped on the matter. The deputy Secretary General, Mr Harold Kaija, referred our reporter to their party electral official, Mr Boniface Bamwenda, who was unable to comment.

However, the NRM secretariat spokesperson, Mr Rogers Mulindwa, said the exercise was a success, adding that they divided the country into 25 sub-regions where officials were deployed.

In response, the EC spokesperson, Mr Jotham Taremwa, said the exercise took place in all villages where the schools and universities belong, implying that everyone had a chance to verify their particulars.

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In Kanungu, Kisoro and Rubanda districts, the returning officers, Mr Mulekezi Tumwesigye, Ms Annet and Mr Ismail Atwijukire, respectively, on Tuesday, described the exercise as a success.
“Kanungu District has 262 polling stations and 503 villages. The exercise was successfully done,” Mr Tumwesigye said.

In Hoima, the district returning officer, Mr Douglas Matsiko, said the exercise was successfully concluded although some voters complained. “I did not know about the exercise. Let me hope that I have not been deleted from the register,” Mr George Busobozi, a boda boda cyclist at Kinuubi Stage in Hoima Town, said.
In Obongi District, police on Monday evening allegedly shot and injured one woman and arrested seven people in connection to inciting violence against the EC officials in Palorinya Sub-county.

Reported by Derrick Wandera, Robert Muhereza, Francis Mugerwa, Alex Ashaba & Scovin Iceta.

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