Masindi Central Division council race suspended after candidate's death

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The Electoral Commission has suspended the election for the directly elected district councillor representing the central division of Masindi district following the death of one of the nine candidates.

The suspension came a day before the scheduled LC5 chairperson and district councillors elections.

James Munaku, who was also Kijura Central LC1 chairperson, passed on last week.

According to Masindi district returning officer Gastavas Kakaire, the election has been suspended, and a new election date will be announced.

"The law says when a candidate dies before the election, you halt it and also give a chance to others to express interest," he said, adding that “when the date has been chosen, we shall communicate. This will also allow new individuals to express interest and be nominated for the same position."

Kakaire said nomination of fresh candidates won't affect the candidates who had been earlier nominated.

Several candidates expressed sorrow for the loss of the candidate, acknowledging the legal requirement for the suspension, including Hakim Kabagambe, who sympathised with the family members and the people of the central division, adding that it was right to postpone the elections.

Rayan Hakim Kyamanywa, another candidate, said it was right to postpone the election, but it's going to drain them since they have run out of resources.

This development comes amidst concerning statistics regarding voter participation in Masindi district's recent general elections.

Official figures reveal that out of 180,000 registered voters, only 85,000 (47%) participated, meaning over 95,000 eligible voters (53%) did not cast their ballots in the recently concluded General Election that saw the re-election of President Yoweri Museveni and Members of Parliament across the country.

Masindi Municipality recorded the lowest turnout at 41%, followed by Bujenje County at 50%, and Buruli County at 51%.

Voters attributed the poor turnout partly to delays caused by the malfunctioning Biometric Voter Verification Machines, which led to voting being delayed for several hours at many polling stations.

 Some voters reported returning home without casting their votes due to these delays, while others cited a growing public mistrust in the country's electoral process as a contributing factor.