UGANDA ELECTIONS: Biometric voter verification kits worked well in Katakwi
Many voters were seen asking the use of the ballot bags which were issued to them as they received the ballot papers.
At about 10:00am yesterday, Vice-President Maj. (rtd) Jessica Alupo lined up for about 15 minutes before casting her vote at Aketa Primary School polling station in Ongongoja sub-county, Katakwi district.
Alupo, who doubles as the Katakwi District Woman MP, was among the 509 registered voters who cast votes at the polling station yesterday.
There, the biometric voter verification kits (BVVK) worked well, unlike other places in the country where they failed.
“In Katakwi, a few incidents were raised, but the security teams handled them efficiently. I thank the security teams for the good work they are doing across the country,” she said.
Alupo appealed to all the stakeholders to co-operate with the security teams to ensure that the election process ends peacefully.
At St Paul polling station in Usuk town council, Bosco Okiror, the Usuk County MP, voted at about 11:30am.
He said the election will prove whether those who won the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries were genuine.
Okiror was defeated by Richard Ongorok in the NRM primaries to fly the party’s flag for the Usuk County MP seat. Ongorok cast his vote at around 9:00am, but said two of his vehicles were impounded by the Police at night.
He said they were impounded as his agents tried to follow up his rival who was still campaigning after the Tuesday 6:00pm deadline.
Ongorok said, with his two vehicles impounded, it would be difficult for him to move around to check on his agents.
He attributed the high voter turnout to effective mobilisation.
Still in Katakwi district, many voters were seen asking the use of the ballot bags which were issued to them as they received the ballot papers.
Christine Agwang, the supervisor of Central ward in Usuk town council, said the bags were being used to avoid a mix-up of presidential and MP ballot papers since they are being issued once.
Serere
In Serere district, Hellen Adoa, the incumbent District Woman MP, who doubles as the fisheries state minister, urged voters to maintain peace as they vote.
In some parts of Serere, the BVVKs failed to work, forcing some voters to return home without voting.
Michaki Elianu, a presiding officer at Kikota C-Z polling station in Serere town council
said the failure of the voter verification machines negatively affected the voter turnout.
Francis Apieun, the presiding officer of Kikota A-B, said voting delayed because of the setback in transporting voting materials from the district offices to the polling station.
He said the situation was further compounded by the failure of the BVVKs.