The Elgon Regional Elections Officer, Hajat Sarah Bukirwa, has urged political parties to take greater responsibility in preparing their candidates for the nomination process, warning that last-minute disorganization threatens the credibility of the electoral exercise.
In an interview with the Nile Post after the close of the first phase of nominations for district and city representatives, Bukirwa said several candidates arrived late with incomplete documentation, creating unnecessary crises and sparking unfair accusations of bias against the Electoral Commission (EC).
“The law says that whoever enters our nomination centre before closing time must be worked on, as long as they qualify,” Bukirwa explained.
“But in Kapchorwa, for example, a chairperson needed 500 signatures from 10 sub-counties. One candidate came in with only 300 and asked me for a miracle. I told him, ‘I’m not a miracle maker — go and find the missing 200.’”
She said the candidate eventually managed to secure the required signatures after frantic last-minute mobilization.
Still in Kapchorwa, a National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer for the district chairperson seat came in for the first time seeking to verify all 500 supporters just four minutes before close of nominations, a task Bukirwa described as nearly impossible.
“If you come at the last minute and yet we have been verifying since Monday, it shows lack of preparedness from the candidates and the parties,” she stressed.
“It is the parties and their structures that should support their flagbearers through this tedious process. An individual candidate cannot manage it alone.”
The Elgon electoral region spans 16 districts and Mbale City across Bugisu, Sebei, and Bukedi sub-regions.
Bukirwa cautioned that without better organization, similar problems could reoccur in the upcoming nominations for municipal seats in Busia, Kapchorwa, and Mbale.
“All said and done, that is water under the bridge now,” she concluded. “But as we prepare for Monday’s municipal nominations, candidates and parties must learn from these challenges and come ready.”
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