EC redeploys polling staff after 'conflict of interest' petition

KITGUM - The Electoral Commission (EC) has reassigned multiple polling officials in Kitgum district's Mucwini East sub-county.

The development follows a formal petition alleging familial relationships between election staff and an incumbent candidate that, according to the petitioner, could compromise electoral integrity. 

Independent LC3 chairperson candidate Martin Atube lodged the complaint on January 27, 2026, with EC's Kitgum returning officer Betty Atim Owot, requesting immediate reassignment of officials with ties to incumbent LC3 chairperson Richard Herbert Odongo, who is seeking re-election.

Atube's petition specifically identified Ogwapoke Primary School polling station presiding officer Samuel Komakech Roman, who oversees codes 01 and 02, as the brother of the incumbent.

He further alleged that polling assistant Shara Adoch and machine operator Olara, both stationed at the same location, maintain family connections to Odongo.

The complainant also alleged that at Okol Primary School polling station, polling official Andrew Opwonya was reportedly identified as the incumbent's nephew.

Expressing serious concerns about impartiality, Atube warned that officials with familial ties to Odongo might possess prior knowledge of the incumbent's supporter networks and could potentially facilitate electoral malpractice, including the unauthorised issuance of extra ballot papers.

He referenced the 2021 elections, alleging that Odongo previously benefited from similar irregularities when certain voters reportedly received multiple ballots to cast in his favour.

Responding to the petition, Owot confirmed to New Vision Onlinethat the concerns raised were valid, adding that the Electoral Commission had directed Mucwini East Sub-county supervisor Juliet Oyella to reassign all election officials found to be related to the incumbent to polling stations in different parishes where they lack personal connections.

The measures are designed to safeguard the election's impartiality.

The Mucwini East LC3 chairperson race features three contenders: Petitioner Atube, Charles Nyeko Olweny of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), and incumbent Odongo, also contesting as an independent.

The sub-county comprises 10 polling stations distributed across three parishes: Okol, Pubech, and Ogwapoke—with 3,578 registered voters eligible to participate.

EC has scheduled the LC elections for February 4, 2026, when voters across Uganda will elect LC3 chairpersons and councillors for sub-counties and municipal divisions nationwide.