Rigging Mars Mbale Polls

Massive rigging marred yesterday’s lower council elections in Mbale district, the Police and election officials reported yesterday.Nathan Etengu writes that the District Returning Officer, Fred Bukeni Gyabi, and the District Police Commander, Celestine Oire Eyagu, said incidents of ballot-stuffing were reported in Nakaloke and Bukonde sub-county chairperson elections. “We arrested two suspects, but two others jumped off the vehicle as they were being transported to the Police station for questioning,” Eyagu said in a telephone interview. He said supporters of the Nakaloke LC3 candidate, Zubairi Galiwango, had tried to stuff the ballot papers in the box. Eyagu said some of the presiding officers were also implicated in the mal practice. But he said they fled when the Police and election officials from the district arrived at the scene. Bukeni Gyabi said some of the presiding officers in Bukonde were also implicated in election malpractices. “They involved themselves in stuffing ballot papers in favour of some of the candidates,” Bukeni Gyabi said. He said at one of the polling stations, the presiding officers were chased away and the voters used the opportunity to stuff ballot papers in favour of their candidates. He said complaints were also received from Sibanga sub-county, south Mbale, and that his office was awaiting the details of the election irregularities reported in the area.Ends