No morale as voters shun Local Govt elections

By Elvis Basudde

Buikwe - The election of chairpersons, directly elected councilors and women councilors for Buikwe district was characterized by very low voter turn up at most of the polling stations.

Although most polling stations in Buikwe North opened early enough and also received the material by 7.30 am, a number of them   registered a deplorably low turn up.

At all the 15 polling stations visited in Njeru Town council and Nyenga Sub County by this reporter there were no queues like the ones that characterised the general elections.

A voter casting her vote elections of district chairpersons and councillors at Seventh Day Advents polling station in Kireka Kira Municipality on 24 Feb 2016. Photo by Ronnie Kijjambu

Most of them were empty with presiding officers were seated idle or napping. Meanwhile it was business as usual around trading centres as people went about their businesses.

Emjong Caleb, presiding officer at Upper Nava A-M polling station attributed the low voter turn up to a lot of apathy amongst the voters following what happened in the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections.

"A number of people were disappointred by the previous results and their moods are dampened. They say they are not optimistic about the whole process. Others just consider the presidential and parliamentary elections more than the local council," he says.

Another presiding officer expressed pessimism that they might not even meet 30 or 50% of the registered voters of his area.

"If you look at the number of people turning up, to vote, we may not make 30%. Imagine 40 people had voted by 3.00pm out of 698 registered voters here at Naminya M-Z polling station," she regretted.

At Nava polling station by 2:45pm, they had received 76 voters out of the total 889 registered voters.

Workers also complained that they were working on empty stomachs since they had not been paid. "No breakfast, no water, no lunch! We don't have money.

They said they will pay us after we have completed the whole exercise," cried on presiding officer.