EC sends inspection team to witness ballot printing

The Electoral Commission (EC) has dispatched a 25-member team abroad to monitor the printing, proofreading, packing and delivery of the 2021 election ballots. 
Mr Paul Bukenya, the acting EC spokesperson, yesterday said the first team left last Thursday with the last staff destined to the UK and leaving Entebbe International Airport on Saturday.
A team of five EC staff headed by a commissioner has been sent to each of the five companies in UK, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates that were contracted to print the 187 million ballots. 

Another team will remain at the EC head offices in Kampala to coordinate the data with those out of the country.
“The teams that are going to supervise the printing of ballot papers have been dispatched. They left for the various printers to support proofreading and supervision of printing ballot papers. We are already behind schedule but we hope to work within schedule,” Mr Bukenya said.
He, however, did not disclose when the EC teams are expected back. Earlier, Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC chairperson, told the media that ballot papers would be in the country early December ahead of the presidential and parliamentary polling date on January 14, 2021.

Last week, Mr Byabakama asked the 11 presidential candidates to send a representative to witness the activities at the printer --- United Printing and Publishing (Abu Dhabi), which would print ballots for presidential and constituency parliamentary candidates.  
The EC also picked Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC (Dubai) to print ballots for the district Woman representatives to Parliament, district/city woman councillors and sub-county/town/municipal division Woman councillors.

By yesterday evening, no party or independent presidential candidate had sent an agent.
Mr Rogers Mulindwa, the National Resistance Movement party spokesperson, said he could not readily confirm whether the party had sent a representative to EC. NRM secretary general Justine Lumumba neither answered our repeated calls nor replied the text message. 

National Unity Platform chairperson Fred Nyanzi Sentamu said they are likely to use their supporters in the diaspora to witness for them since it will be expensive for the party to send an individual abroad for the activity. 
Alliance for National Transformation presidential flag bearer Gregory Mugisha Muntu and Forum for Democratic Change Patrick Amuriat had not responded to our questions by press time. 

Other companies involved in printing the ballot papers include Uniprint (SA), Durban South Africa, which has been given district/city chairpersons, district/city directly-elected councillors, municipality/city division chairpersons and municipality/city division Woman councillors. Tall Security Print Ltd (UK) will print ballots for municipality directly-elected councillors, Special Interest Groups at district, municipality and sub-county levels while Adare Sec Ltd (UK) has received the contract for  the sub-county, town, municipal division chairpersons and municipal division directly-elected councillors.

Pending candidates
It is not clear whether presidential candidates John Katumba and Nancy Kalembe, who struggled to pay nomination fees of Shs20m, will be able to facilitate their agents to travel and witness the ballot printing.
Other presidential candidates, Willy Mayambala and Pastor Fred Mwesigye, have complained before that it was becoming difficult to transport themselves on the campaign trail. This newspaper could not readily establish whether Democratic Party’s Nobert Mao, Gen Henry Tumukunde (Independent) and Mr Joseph Kabuleta (Independent) will be sending their agents to witness the ballot printing.