NRM Registrar arrested in Sironko over election malpractice
What you need to know:
Watsibaya is currently detained at Sironko Central Police Station and is expected to face charges related to electoral fraud
Police in Sironko District, Eastern Uganda, have arrested a National Resistance Movement (NRM) registrar for allegedly engaging in electoral malpractice during the party’s parish and ward-level primaries.
The suspect, Edgar Watsibaya, who served as the registrar for Masabasi Ward in Mutufu Town Council, is accused of colluding with another local official to falsify election results.
Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, SP Rogers Taitika, confirmed the arrest, saying the two allegedly filled in declaration forms with names of their preferred candidates without conducting any actual voting.
“This malpractice was reported on Monday during the NRM primaries at the parish and ward level,” SP Taitika said on Tuesday.
Sironko District comprises 225 parishes and wards. According to police, elections were successfully conducted in 224 of them, with only minor disturbances reported.
“Masabasi Ward was the only place where such an incident occurred,” SP Taitika noted.
Watsibaya is currently detained at Sironko Central Police Station and is expected to face charges related to electoral fraud.
Due to the incident, elections in Masabasi Ward were postponed and will be rescheduled.
Police have warned all NRM election officials to refrain from any form of malpractice, vowing to prosecute those found in violation of electoral guidelines.
