Uganda: Declaration of Councillors' Results Halted in Nansana and Nabweru

The declaration of councillors' election results in Nansana and Nabweru sub-counties, Wakiso District, was on Tuesday halted following protests from candidates who disputed the tallying process.

In a dramatic turn of events, candidates contesting for various councillor positions were forced to wait an additional four to five hours as electoral officials attempted to resolve the disputes.

The delay affected what would have been the declaration of the 14th sub-county results in Wakiso District.

The delay was triggered after candidates who were poised to be declared winners faced strong opposition from their rivals, who stood before the Returning Officer to challenge the announced results.

Out of the six elective positions in the affected areas, results for five positions were contested, placing the Returning Officer and his team in a difficult situation.

Several candidates opposing the results were visibly angry, with some struggling to even state their names as they accused electoral officials of altering outcomes.

"We won fair and square, yet the results submitted are different from what we have," some candidates protested.

Two candidates who identified themselves and openly opposed the results were, in turn, accused by their rivals of bribing polling officials to influence the outcome.

Addressing the situation, Wakiso District Returning Officer Tolbert Musinguzi said: "I have asked them to go and sit in the tent so that there is ample time to resolve the issue."

He added that no results would be declared until all complaints were addressed. Similar scenes unfolded in Nabweru Sub-county, where candidates who had been announced as winners also faced stiff opposition.

Shortly after candidates exited the tally centre auditorium, fights broke out, prompting police and army officers to intervene and restore order.

The incident follows a recent occurrence involving one Josephine Namanda, who protested the declaration of her opponent as winner, claiming that the declared candidate had actually finished third. Unlike the current candidates in Nansana, Namanda raised her concerns after the declaration had already been made.

That earlier incident also caused chaos outside the tally centre, forcing police to disperse crowds using tear gas.

Read the original article on Nile Post.