Polling opened late across Busia Municipality on Tuesday after low voter turnout delayed the start of voting at dozens of polling stations, election officials said.
Busia Municipality has 80 polling stations, 38 in the Western Division and 42 in the Eastern, with 20,016 and 22,917 registered voters respectively.
Nationwide, voting was scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. but was delayed as officials in Busia struggled to gather the legally required minimum of 10 voters to witness the opening of ballot boxes.
By 9:00 a.m., polling had yet to begin at Church of God polling centre in the Western Division.
‘By law, polling cannot open unless 10 voters are present to witness the opening of the ballot boxes, so we are waiting until that number is reached,’ presiding officer Morris Barasa told Monitor.
Six candidates are contesting the Busia mayoral seat, including Aisha Kalombo (IND), Iddi Muhammad Kibaki (NUP), Sadiki Amin Agele (FDC), incumbent mayor Haji Ali Mande (NRM), Siraji Wabwire Omunyu (PFF) and Iddi Ouma (IND).
Presiding officer Humphrey Taabu said his team waited nearly three hours to register the first 10 voters.
‘We collected the voting materials before 7:00 a.m. and set up the station, but we are still waiting for the 10 voters required to witness the opening,’ he said.
Voters in eastern Uganda blamed low turnout on poor mobilization, voter apathy and lack of incentives. Alexander Waswa, a resident of Madibira, said mayoral elections attract less interest.
‘As voters, we feel candidates have to bribe us because after the elections they disappear for four years. It’s tit for tat.no money, no vote,’ he said.
Another voter, Yusuf Salim, warned that disengagement harms communities.
‘Municipal leaders manage service delivery. Electing the wrong leaders or skipping voting because of bribes only harms us,’ he said.
Election officials said biometric voter verification kits (BVVKs), which malfunctioned during earlier elections, were working properly.
In Busia and neighbouring districts, operators verified voters successfully, with officials’ IDs recognised by the machines.
An IT technician, who asked not to be named, said delays were not due to equipment failure but the internet shutdown.
In Iganga District, police were deployed after confusion broke out at some polling centres.
‘From previous elections, Iganga has been known for rowdy supporters, so as police we ensured heavy deployment to prevent chaos,’ said Busoga East police spokesperson Michael Kasadha.
In Jinja City, voters praised BVVKs for speeding up the process.
‘My voter slip was scanned, my thumbprint verified, and I voted quickly,’ said Francis Ssempa, adding it took less than three minutes.