Voting in parts of Wakiso District was delayed on Thursday morning due to low voter turnout, with several polling stations failing to open on schedule despite being fully set up by 7:00am.
Polling officers across the district had received voting materials on time and were ready to commence voting as planned. However, unlike the January 15 polling day when delays were largely attributed to late delivery of materials, Thursday’s delays were caused by the absence of voters.
At a number of polling stations, voting only began after 8:00am, while others had yet to register a significant number of voters by mid-morning.
In Mende, at Kalama Polling Station, which has more than 576 registered voters, turnout remained notably low. By the time of filing this report, only 10 people had cast their ballots, most of them agents representing candidates.
A polling assistant at the station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the numbers were unusually low compared to previous elections.
“On the 15th, by this time the line had stretched to the main road, but now it’s one person after another,” she said.
Electoral Commission guidelines require a minimum number of voters to be present at a polling station to witness the opening of voting materials, a measure aimed at ensuring transparency. In stations where this requirement was not met, polling officials were forced to wait before formally opening.
Low turnout in elections for political positions other than presidential and parliamentary has been a recurring pattern in many election cycles. Local government contests, in particular, have historically attracted fewer voters.
“Today they are coming slowly,” the polling assistant added, expressing hope that turnout would improve later in the day.
The slow start in Wakiso mirrors early voting trends observed in other urban and peri-urban areas, where voter fatigue and the close scheduling of multiple elections are often cited as contributing factors.
Polling was expected to continue throughout the day as officials anticipated increased participation in the later hours.
