An independent candidate in Uganda’s eastern district of Soroti said he was consulting lawyers to challenge the outcome of the district chairperson (LC5) election, disputing results that handed victory to the ruling party’s candidate.
Vincent Enomu, who finished second in the Soroti LC5 race, said he rejected the results announced by the district electoral commission, citing alleged irregularities during polling.
On January 22, Soroti District returning officer Joseph Mukwaya declared Bob Owiny of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) the winner with 28,224 votes, defeating Enomu, who polled 20,504 votes, from 247 polling stations across 12 sub-counties.
‘I am not happy with the results that were announced and I disassociate myself from the results that were announced by the electoral commission of Soroti because of the irregularities,’ Enomu told Monitor in a Tuesday interview.
He alleged that violence marred voting in Awaliwali Sub-county, claiming that goons armed with sticks, pangas and bricks invaded polling stations and chased away his agents and supervisors tasked with guarding his votes.
Enomu also said his wife was attacked while delivering food to his polling agents.
‘I sent my wife to take food to my agents, but she was almost beaten to death,’ he noted.
He urged individuals with personal grudges to resolve them outside the electoral process, saying elections should not be turned into battlegrounds.
Enomu revealed that he was compiling evidence to challenge the election outcome in court and warned of political consequences if he failed to secure justice.
‘We are on the ground. We are gathering this evidence to challenge this election legally in the courts of law and if they manipulate the court it’s well and good,’ he said, adding that he would mobilize his supporters to disassociate from the NRM if his efforts failed.
Owiny, however, dismissed the allegations, saying he had won fairly.
‘I am now the LC5 that the people of Soroti have chosen and I thank God and all the people who supported me,’ Owiny said.
He added that disputes were common after elections, noting: ‘If I had lost, I would also not have accepted defeat.’
Owiny said his opponent’s reaction was understandable given the pain of losing but insisted he had won ‘fair and square,’ including in earlier party primaries.
Calling for unity, Owiny urged Enomu to accept the outcome and work together, saying the district’s challenges required collective effort.
Other candidates included John Calvin Elenyu of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who polled 5,036 votes, and independents John Michael Osege, who garnered 5,242 votes.