A man seeking to contest for the LC1 chairperson seat in Kyegombwa Village, Luweero Sub-county, was left frustrated after he was barred from the ongoing nomination exercise over allegations that he is not a resident of the village.
Mensusera Kayondo was turned away at the Luweero Sub-county Community Centre, where the Electoral Commission committee was conducting nominations for village chairperson candidates.
Election officials told Kayondo they had received a letter from the incumbent LC1 chairperson, Francis Mwazike, stating that he is not a resident of Kyegombwa Village and does not ordinarily live there.
The committee informed him that only candidates who permanently reside in the villages they intend to lead are eligible for nomination. He was advised to first resolve the residency dispute before returning.
However, Kayondo dismissed the allegations, insisting that he is a bona fide resident of Kyegombwa Village.
"I own four pieces of land in this village. I built my house here while I was still in school. Our family cemetery is here, my mother lives here, and I have always voted from this village. Even the current chairperson has previously come asking for my vote. How can he now say I am not a resident?" Kayondo said.
He argued that spending some nights outside the village does not disqualify him from contesting.
"I have several homes because I can afford them. Sometimes I sleep in Luweero, Kampala, Nakaseke or Nakasongola. Not sleeping in Kyegombwa every night is not an offence and should not stop me from contesting because I still have homes here," he added.
Kayondo has appealed to the relevant electoral authorities to intervene before the nomination exercise closes on Sunday, July 19.
He was not the only aspirant affected. Godfrey Jjagwe, who intended to contest for the LC1 chairperson seat in Nakijjo Village, was also denied nomination after officials established that he had relocated to Kikeregge.
Similar cases were reported in Bukolwa, Wobulenzi and Kasaala in Butuntumula Sub-county, although many other aspirants were successfully nominated.
Among those nominated was Peter Kiguli, who is contesting for the Bunyenye Village LC1 chairperson seat. He pledged to prioritise road rehabilitation, promote unity among residents and improve security if elected.
"Our roads have never been graded. I want Bunyenye Road worked on. Our people are divided, and security is also weak," Kiguli said.
Ramadhan Kiwanuka, an aspirant for the Kaguggo Village LC1 chairperson seat, said his priorities would include strengthening security and tackling land grabbing.
Luweero District Electoral Commission Returning Officer Rwanks Kiconco said the nomination exercise had progressed smoothly across the district's 624 villages.
According to Kiconco, by the close of the day, about 80 per cent of the expected candidates across the district's 18 sub-counties and town councils had been successfully nominated.
He urged aspirants who are dissatisfied with nomination decisions to use the established complaints and appeals mechanisms so that their grievances can be investigated and resolved before nominations close.
The election of LC1 chairpersons is scheduled for July 28, with voters expected to line up behind their preferred candidates in accordance with the Electoral Commission guidelines.
