Chaos erupted in several villages in Buteba Sub-county and Eastern Division, which border Kenya, after hundreds of Kenyan nationals crossed into Uganda to take part in the NRM village party elections that began on Monday.
Busia District, which lies along the Uganda-Kenya border, is home to ethnic communities such as the Samia and Iteso, who have close family ties across the two countries. This makes it difficult to clearly distinguish between Ugandan and Kenyan citizens.
The most affected areas included Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B in Eastern Division, while in Buteba Sub-county, the villages of Okame, Abochet, Amagoro, and Alupe were hit hardest.
Voting in the four Buteba Sub-county villages—Alupe, Amagoro, Abochet, and Okame—was suspended after large numbers of Kenyan nationals from Teso South crossed over to participate in the elections.
Busia District NRM Chairperson, Mr. Eric Masiga, confirmed the cancellation of the polls in the affected villages, citing the illegal involvement of foreigners.
“We were strictly following the yellow book, so when some Kenyans crossed and insisted on voting, chaos broke out, leading to the cancellation of the voting process,” Mr Masiga said.
He added that elections in the affected villages had been rescheduled for the following day.
In Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B, the voting process was delayed amid allegations that some candidates brought in hundreds of Kenyan nationals to vote, although the process eventually resumed.
Eastern Division NRM Party Registrar Ms Linet Lilian Acheng said that despite the disruptions, elections proceeded after candidates agreed on the voting method.
“We tried using the yellow books, but candidates declined the procedure, and we had to allow people to line up without following the guidelines,” she said.
Elsewhere, elections were postponed in villages across Dabani, Western Division, Masinya, Lumino, Lunyo, and Busime sub-counties.
In Dabani Sub-county, polls were not held in Nangwe North and South and Shamitumba, after party members found their names missing from the voter register.
Voting was also disrupted in Buyondi (Lumino) and Hadoda (Masinya) due to violence.
In Nangwe Madibira village (Western Division), elections were called off after residents claimed non-village individuals were listed on the register.
“We couldn’t allow voting to proceed with a flawed register,” said Mr David Tibita, a resident. “Some genuine residents’ names were missing, while non-residents were included.”
Chaotic scenes marred the elections in many locations. In Mugungu B (Eastern Division), clashes between voters forced police intervention.
Mr Patrick Lomony, a resident, said: “We arrived to vote for our preferred candidate, but the presiding officer turned us away, even though we are registered in the yellow book.”
Mr Talemwa Tigger alleged that several NRM members were blocked from voting, a scheme, he said, orchestrated by Mr Godfrey Benezer to disadvantage his rival, Mr Juma Charles.
Fighting also broke out in Marachi D, Sofia A, and Arubaine over disputes involving ineligible voters. In Rukaka village, Busime Sub-county, police fired shots in the air to disperse violent party members.
In Kateke village, Buteba Sub-county, drama unfolded when the LC1 chairmanship winner, Mr Lawrence Ikemeri, had his hand broken by his son.
Busia District Police Commander Ms Alice Kuka confirmed the incident, saying Mr Stephen Okameri assaulted his father after learning he had lost the election to him.
“Mr Okameri fled the village to Kampala shortly after committing the crime, but a case of assault has been recorded at Buteba Police Station,” Ms Kuka said.
She added that two individuals had been arrested in connection with election-related violence.
Mr Rogers Mulindwa, NRM party publicist for the Bukedi region, blamed the chaos on individuals not listed in their respective village registers.
“I have been to a number of villages in Busia District, and voting is ongoing without major disruptions, but there are a few cases of non-registered voters wanting to vote,” Mr Mulindwa told this publication.
