The Electoral Commission (EC) in Ntungamo District has begun dispatching voting materials to sub-counties ahead of tomorrow’s local government council elections, which will be conducted across 812 polling stations.
The materials, including ballot boxes, ballot papers, basins and other welfare items, are being loaded onto trucks and transported to the district’s five constituencies of Ruhaama, Ruhaama East, Rushenyi, Kajara and Ntungamo Municipality.
Ntungamo District has 34 sub-counties, 135 parishes and a total of 315,978 registered voters expected to participate in the polls.
According to the District Returning Officer, Charles Wafula, the materials will first be delivered to the sub-county headquarters before being deployed to individual polling stations early tomorrow morning.
“The materials will be kept at the sub-counties, and at 3:00am they will be taken to the polling stations so that voting can start at 7am,” Wafula said.
He noted that the Commission has put in place additional logistical measures to prevent a repeat of delays experienced during last week’s parliamentary elections, particularly in Kajara and Ruhaama constituencies.
Wafula also confirmed that the elections will be conducted using the national voter register.
“For now, we are using the national voter register. Voters should come with their national identity cards or voter location slips. However, if someone does not have these documents but their name appears on the register, they will still be allowed to vote,” he said.
The EC has appealed to voters and candidates to maintain peace and order throughout the electoral process.
“I kindly request you to maintain the same peace you exhibited during the presidential and parliamentary elections. Please show it again during these polls,” Wafula urged.
The elections will determine Ntungamo District’s Local Council Five (LC5) chairperson and district councillors.
The LC5 race features the incumbent, Samuel Muchunguzi Rwakigoba of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), who is seeking another term against John Kabeeho, an independent candidate who is NRM-leaning.
The EC also revealed that in some constituencies, a number of candidates have withdrawn from the race and will therefore not appear on the ballot during tomorrow’s voting.
Polling is expected to commence at 7am at all designated polling stations, with security personnel and election officials deployed to oversee the exercise.
