NRM leaders in Luweero District have raised concerns over alleged vote buying and irregularities in the recent LC1 and LC2 elections, claiming that land brokers may have injected money into the contests to influence the election of local leaders.
The leaders say the alleged interference could result in unsuitable leaders taking office and potentially facilitating land grabbing and other activities at the expense of vulnerable residents.
The NRM won 394 of the 624 village chairperson positions in Luweero District and 86 of the 101 parish chairperson positions.
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However, party leaders say the elections were marred by alleged voter bribery, manipulation of results and other irregularities, with some complaints from candidates and voters yet to be resolved.
One of the disputed contests is in Kitebere Village, Makulubita Sub-county, where voters reportedly left the polling station on July 28 believing that John Semakula had won with 192 votes against NRM's Robert Kasozi, who polled 142 votes.
Semakula later reportedly learnt that Kasozi had claimed victory, allegedly saying he had spent money to secure the position.
Semakula subsequently lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission offices in Luweero, where he was reportedly informed that the results had been changed at sub-county level and that Kasozi had been entered into the system as the winner.
Luweero District Returning Officer Moses Rwanks Kiconco confirmed that the commission is handling the dispute.
"We are handling the complaint between the two candidates. We are reviewing the evidence presented to us to establish who legitimately won the election," Kiconco said.
The allegations have not been limited to the Kitebere contest.
Ben Mivule, an LC1 contestant in Makulubita, alleged that some voters were confined in buildings, given voter slips and later transported to polling stations to vote.
"Some voters were kept in buildings and given voter slips before they were taken to the polling lines. We also witnessed cases where people without national identification cards were allowed to vote," Mivule said.
Another disputed contest was the LC2 election in Wobulenzi West Ward, where NUP's Ibrah Kaye faced NRM's Morgan Bugoloobi.
The election reportedly stretched over two days, with the candidates facing off in five rounds following disagreements over the results.
Kaye initially emerged with 22 votes against Bugoloobi's 21, but disagreements among NRM supporters reportedly prevented the process from being concluded.
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The two sides later agreed to share the available leadership positions, bringing the contest to an end.
Rashidah Birungi, who contested for Luweero District chairperson on the NRM ticket, said the alleged vote buying in the LC1 and LC2 elections was excessive.
Birungi linked the alleged spending to land interests, arguing that individuals seeking to influence local leadership could later use those positions to facilitate the acquisition of land belonging to vulnerable residents.
"We have seen excessive vote buying in these local elections. The question is, how can someone spend up to Shs10 million to win an LC1 election? There must be an interest behind such expenditure," Birungi said.
She called for investigations into the allegations and urged authorities to ensure that candidates and voters with genuine complaints receive justice.
"We need the relevant authorities to investigate these allegations and ensure that the affected candidates and voters get justice. Local leaders should be elected to serve their communities, not to facilitate the interests of land brokers," Birungi said.
Birungi said affected candidates could seek intervention from higher authorities if the Electoral Commission fails to resolve their complaints.
The NRM leaders have consequently called for investigations into the alleged irregularities, saying credible local elections are essential to ensure that elected leaders genuinely represent the interests of their communities.
