Eyewitness  News
  • Home
Sunday, February 5, 2023
  • Login
  • Home
  • Diplomacy
  • ECONOMY
  • Agriculture
  • Faith
  • Security
  • Tourism
  • International
  • Latest News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Diplomacy
  • ECONOMY
  • Agriculture
  • Faith
  • Security
  • Tourism
  • International
  • Latest News
No Result
View All Result
Eyewitness  News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Diplomacy
  • ECONOMY
  • Agriculture
  • Faith
  • Security
  • Tourism
  • International
  • Latest News
Home Latest News

CCEDU Preliminary Observations | Jinja East By-election

March 16, 2018
in Latest News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Opening of polling stations and polling: The March 15th 2018 by-election in Jinja Municipality East Constituency registered a slow start – especially after the heavy morning downpour disrupted the commencement of polling. Several voting places around Jinja metropolitan area including the four (4) polling stations at Main Street Primary School commenced voting after 8:00am.  This was partly due to the lack of the five (5) voters required before commencement of voting – due to disruptions caused by the rain.  Voters braved the heavy rains that characterized most of the parts in Jinja Municipality East Constituency to go and vote at their respective polling stations.  Queues at polling stations increased in length in the afternoon even though the rains continued.  Under the circumstances, there was a general enthusiasm around the polling day as reflected by the long queues of especially young men and women that turned out to vote.

Deployment of Security: This could have been the most policed by-election in Uganda’s recent history, with a single polling station being manned by more than one polling constable.  Most urban polling stations had as many as 30 security persons supervising a polling station – a number that surpasses what has been seen before in hotly contested elections such as, the Kyadondo East Constituency by-election conducted in 2017. Volatile Jinja town areas attracted much higher deployment. In some cases, security deployment was of an intrusive nature and catalyzed rowdiness among locals.

In law and in principle, the EC is supposed to manage all aspects of the election including, security. Perceptions around security agencies occasionally interfering with the electoral environment outside the purview of the EC still exist.  EC needs to counter both the perceptions and realities of being subordinate to security agencies on matters electoral security.

Incidents: The Jinja metropolitan area, specifically Main Street was the theater of chaotic scenes resulting from occasional running battles between the security personnel and locals.  At for instance, Main Street Primary School, police conducted various arrests on account of NRM party supporters allegedly campaigning around the polling center.  A phantom polling station was in the earlier part of the day erected at the Main Street Primary School bringing the total number of polling stations to five (5) instead of four (4).  Vigilante citizens exposed this anomaly and the 5th polling station was immediately removed. Voters demonstrated exceptional vigilance in the by-election, to the extent that most of those who turned up to vote at different polling stations remained around, until the time of counting the votes – after 4:00pm.

Allegations of vote rigging, ballot stuffing and voter bribery remained widely spread. At some point, FDC President, Patrick Oboi Amuriat who was in the Constituency displayed a ballot paper that was pre-ticked in favour of NRM’s Nathan Igeme Nabeta.  The EC however dismissed the complaints around leaked and pre-ticked ballot papers noting that the serial numbers on the allegedly pre-ticked ballots were different from those that EC held in their custody.

Candidate Agents: Party and candidate agents from both the ruling NRM and the opposition demonstrated exceptional watchfulness of the polling process.  Opposition MPs and senior figures watched the voting process at all the 47 polling stations in Jinja Municipality East Constituency.  Senior figures from the NRM party likewise guarded their candidate’s vote in the Constituency.

Management of Polling Day: The EC deployed its staff to work as senior polling officials at the 47 polling stations in the Constituency.  This may have accounted for the fair level of efficiency witnessed during the polling and counting process.  Counting of votes is still on going at most polling stations.

Whereas the previous practice and norm has been that polling stations are located in open air spaces for purposes of guaranteeing transparency, most polling stations in Jinja Municipality East by-election had to be moved from open-air spaces to semi-covered facilities to protect polling materials from getting destroyed by the rain.  In future, the EC will have to re-think the practice of locating polling stations in open-air spaces without compromising the principle of transparency of an election.

Previous Post

Champions League: Centurion Lionel Messi guides Barcelona past Chelsea

Next Post

Minister Explains Why Domestic Investors Are Not Given Incentives

Related Posts

Monitoring of Local Gov’ts Lacking-MPs
Latest News

Monitoring of Local Gov’ts Lacking-MPs

January 19, 2023
0

Inspection and monitoring of service delivery at local government level remains wanting, according to a section of Members of Parliament...

Read more
Parliament Rejects Govt Report for Lack of Quick Interventions.

Parliament Rejects Govt Report for Lack of Quick Interventions.

April 12, 2022
Opposition Call off Parliament Boycott

Opposition Call off Parliament Boycott

November 20, 2022
Aringa MP- Calls for More Funds For Yumbe Regional Hospital

Aringa MP- Calls for More Funds For Yumbe Regional Hospital

December 7, 2021
Oulanyah Rallies Agago to Take up Vaccination

Oulanyah Rallies Agago to Take up Vaccination

December 4, 2021
Health Consumers Push For Patients’ Rights Law 

Health Consumers Push For Patients’ Rights Law 

October 26, 2021
Next Post
Minister Explains Why Domestic Investors Are Not Given Incentives

Minister Explains Why Domestic Investors Are Not Given Incentives

Danny Welbeck scored twice on the day he was recalled to the England squad as Arsenal beat AC Milan to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Danny Welbeck scored twice on the day he was recalled to the England squad as Arsenal beat AC Milan to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Phaneroo Boss, Sudhir Grilled Over Nakawa Land

Phaneroo Boss, Sudhir Grilled Over Nakawa Land

April 22, 2022
MPs – Reaction to The State of Nation Address

West Nile MPs, Govt Chief Whip Clash Over Electricity in the Region

January 15, 2023
Peter Magomu Mashate is a London based Ugandan Barrister of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Court in London

Ugandan Lawyer Mashate: The Unsung NRM Hero!

March 24, 2019
Gov’t Procures Sh1.9b Bone Marrow Transplant Machines

Gov’t Procures Sh1.9b Bone Marrow Transplant Machines

November 14, 2022
Budget Advocates Concerned With New Wave Of Corruption In Govt.

Budget Advocates Concerned With New Wave Of Corruption In Govt.

1
Musoke Ibrahim a father to Rahim who is now eight years

Being A Good Father Does Not Mean Money But Love & Care

1
URBRA Cautions On NSSF Mid-Term Access 

URBRA Cautions On NSSF Mid-Term Access 

1

Hello world!

0
UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

February 4, 2023
Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

February 4, 2023
Provide Pro-Bono Services To Girls MP-Urges Judiciary

Provide Pro-Bono Services To Girls MP-Urges Judiciary

February 2, 2023
Delivery of Essential Medicines Resumes

Delivery of Essential Medicines Resumes

February 2, 2023

Recent News

UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

February 4, 2023
Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

February 4, 2023
Provide Pro-Bono Services To Girls MP-Urges Judiciary

Provide Pro-Bono Services To Girls MP-Urges Judiciary

February 2, 2023
Delivery of Essential Medicines Resumes

Delivery of Essential Medicines Resumes

February 2, 2023

Eyewitnessug.com is Licensed by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Under Dominion Media Limited.

Dominion Media Limited is registered by Uganda Revenue Authority.

For Advertisement Reach out to Marketing Department via.
Email: [email protected]

Contact us through our Postal Address.
P.O.BOX 21157 Kampala-Uganda.

Browse by Category

  • Agiriculture
  • Agriculture
  • Business
  • Development
  • Diplomacy
  • ECONOMY
  • Editor's Pick
  • Education
  • Entertainment & Arts
  • Enviroment
  • Faith
  • Feature News
  • Governance
  • Health
  • International
  • Latest News
  • obituary
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Security
  • Social
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Tourism

Recent News

UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

UWOPA Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan

February 4, 2023
Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

Speaker Among Rallies  MPs To Save

February 4, 2023
  • Home

© 2021 Allrights Reserved EYEWITNESS NEWS UGANDA

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Diplomacy
  • ECONOMY
  • Agriculture
  • Faith
  • Security
  • Tourism
  • International
  • Latest News

© 2021 Allrights Reserved EYEWITNESS NEWS UGANDA

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
error: Content is protected !!