🔊 75-year-old man dies after election scuffle at Kapelebyong polling station
Eyewitnesses say Esamu was injured during a scuffle that broke out at the polling station while vote tallying was ongoing.
The deceased has been identified as Geresemu Esamu, a 73-year-old resident of Moru Temel cell, Aparisha ward in Acowa town council.
KAPELEBYONG - Tension was high in Kapelebyong district on the evening of January 22, 2026, following the death of an elderly voter who sustained injuries during a scuffle at a polling station in Acowa town council during LC5 elections.
The deceased has been identified as Geresemu Esamu, a 73-year-old resident of Moru Temel cell, Aparisha ward in Acowa town council.
Eyewitnesses say Esamu was injured during a scuffle that broke out at the polling station while vote tallying was ongoing.
The incident reportedly occurred when Stephen Oluka, a polling agent for Robert Erisat Okitoi, one of the LC5 candidates, arrived late at the polling station and attempted to witness the tallying process.
According to witnesses, Oluka’s presence angered agents of other candidates, who reportedly attempted to force him out of the polling station. In the process, he is said to have accidentally knocked the elderly man, who later succumbed to his injuries at home.
The Resident District Commissioner for Kapelebyong, Tom Olinga Otukol, says security agencies have commenced investigations into the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
Otukol adds that security had earlier identified Acowa Town Council and its surrounding areas as potential hotspots for election-related violence, prompting increased deployment of security personnel.
Attempts to reach Robert Erisat Okitoi for comment were unsuccessful by press time.
This incident marks the first reported election-related death in Kapelebyong district, coming after the presidential and parliamentary elections in the district were conducted peacefully.