Elections for LC3/sub-county and municipal division chairpersons and councillors in Ntungamo District on Wednesday faced delays and disruptions as low voter turnout coincided with a mispacking of ballot papers at several polling stations.
The Electoral Commission has postponed voting in affected areas to February 17.
Some stations were unable to conduct voting after officials discovered that the ballot papers delivered to them did not correspond to their respective polling areas.
At Kyamate polling stations, for instance, election materials arrived close to 8am., delaying the start of voting and contributing to the slow turnout.
Explaining the situation, Ntungamo District Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Charles Wafula, attributed the problem to errors during the packaging and distribution of ballot papers.
“Ballot boxes are there; however, there is mispacking of ballot papers—wrong ballot papers for the wrong polling stations,” Wafula said.
He noted that while voting materials were delivered on time, the mismatch in ballots made it impossible for some stations to proceed with the exercise on Wednesday morning.
For the affected areas, arrangements have been made to hold elections next week.
“There are some polling stations that didn’t conduct elections today. These include Rukoni Parish, for women and directly elected councillors, Nyabihoko, and the Western Division in Ntungamo Municipality. These elections will be held on February 17,” Wafula explained.
Despite the logistical challenges, Wafula confirmed that the Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs) are functioning properly.
“The BVVKs are working. So far, no technical challenges have been reported,” he said.
Across the district, voter turnout remained low at several polling stations, reflecting a broader trend of limited public participation in the ongoing local government elections.
The Electoral Commission said it is committed to ensuring that all eligible voters have the opportunity to participate once the affected stations reopen next week.