Security tight after candidates’ disqualification from Busia LC5 race

Security deployment remains heavy in Busia District after two leading candidates for the Busia LC5 by-election were disqualified by the electoral commission on Friday. According to deputy police spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, the deployment is standard procedure ahead of any major election.

“You never know the reaction of supporters of the two candidates. That's why we have alerted our officers to be more vigilant. We are still here until Thursday when EC will declare the winner,” said Mr Onyango.
However, residents have expressed mixed reactions over the deployment and the candidates’ disqualification.
“We are even afraid of carrying on with our businesses because security is everywhere,” one of the residents said.

On the candidates’ disqualification, some residents said they would not participate in the voting process because their candidates were ejected by EC while others lauded EC saying the two candidates had brought confusion among voters.
“The EC did a good job to disqualify the two candidates. They had brought confusion here with some. Some of their supporters had started fighting each other,” another resident said.

The Electoral Commission on Friday cancelled the nomination of both the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the Democratic Party (DP) candidates for the race.

The EC chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama in two different statements said the nomination of Mr Paul Boniface Oguttu as a candidate for the District chairperson, Busia District had been cancelled on grounds that the names in the nomination papers he presented during nomination do not match the names on the requisite academic documents accompanying his nomination papers.

READ:

Busia LC5 race: EC cancels nomination for NRM, DP candidates

Democratic Party going to court to challenge EC decision to cancel Njoki's nomination

This followed a complaint filed by DP challenging Mr Oguttu’s nomination.
Justice Byabakama also said the DP candidate, Deogratius Hasubi Njoki was not a registered voter under the national voters register and thus overturned the returning officer's decision to have him nominated for the Busia District Chairperson elective position.

This leaves the race with three independent candidates; Mr Chrispus Bwire, Mr Tony Ojambo and Mr Geoffrey Wandera.
The 16 sub-counties of Busia District will, on Sunday November 28, cast their vote for the LC5 chairperson at the 234 polling stations amidst a changing political face.
The three candidates will battle to share votes of about 52, 000 registered electorates out of the total population of 350,400 people in the district.