By Vision Reporters

VOTING at the NRM party primaries in Kampala kicked off yesterday at a slow pace. At Makerere University, candidates and their agents resorted to knocking at doors of students, asking them to cast their votes.

The university is divided into four parishes. Most students at the university were ignorant of the elections and expressed little desire to participate in the electoral process.

Aspirants blamed the low-turn up on lack of sensitisation and the unplanned postponing of the polls.

“We were supposed to have voted last Monday but we did not because of delayed ballot papers. Today, they were so prompt but people did not know and, therefore, could not turn up to vote,” an aspirant said.

At most of the polling stations, election materials were delivered in the afternoon.

The Police had to be deployed to contain confusion that ensued when some of the aspirants suggested that only students should be allowed to vote.

Voting in Nakawa Division started late in the afternoon, following the delivery of polling materials.

Godfrey Kaganda, the NRM administrative secretary for Nakawa Division, said apart from Kyambogo Parish, which has a total of 11 zones, and Kyanja with 9 zones, he had received materials for all polling stations in the division.

In Kawempe Division, the exercise kicked off smoothly despite the late delivery of the polling materials. Voting, which had been scheduled for Saturday, was pushed to yesterday, following the alleged theft of ballot papers.
Voting was reported to be going on well in Makindye Division, with an estimated 90% of the voters turning up, although the materials were delivered late.

Joyce Namirimu, a resident of Kansanga, said: “I am satisfied that I’m finally going to vote. It has been hectic for some of us who had to sacrifice every morning only to turn up to a disappointment and postponement of these elections.”

In Rubaga North, the turn up was also low. The polling officials attributed this to the frustration due to the delays and postponement. They said people turned up at 8:00am but the materials were delivered at 2:00pm and voting began at 3:00pm.

However, there was a strong police presence at most of the polling stations apart from the Makamba polling station in Lungujja that is adjacent to the Lungujja Police Station. The tallying of the results was expected to start after 6:00pm

By Rachael Ninsiima, Charles Ariko, Justine Nakitende, Jeff Lule, Cecilia Okoth and Patrick Jaramogi