Kyotera Polls: Candidates Accuse Police of Holding Their Agents

The contestants in the Kyotera elections are up in arms against Police for detaining their agents for alleged electoral malpractice.

This morning, Kyotera voters in the newly created Kyotera district went to the polls to elect their woman member of parliament and LC V Chairman.

There are three contestants vying for LC V Chair including Patrick Kintu Kisekulo, the NRM candidate, Tom Darlington Balojja, DO and an independent, Charles Lubega Zziridamu. 

Those contesting for the woman MP seat are Robinah Ssentongo, the DP candidate; NRM's Rachael Nakitende, FDC's Nakato Nassali, Cissy Nantongo and Joweria Namugera Makalayi, both independents.

Cissy Nantongo, Robinah Ssentongo and Tom Darlington Balojja are accusing police of arresting their agents in Kasaali, Kakuuto, Kabila and Kyotera to frustrate their efforts to protect their votes. 

Nantongo accuses police of locking up at least ten of her agents.

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Tom Darlington Balojja, the DP Candidate also claims that police has blocked their agents from their work. According to Balojja, they ferried several agents from Wakiso, Kampala and Masaka district to reinforce the local teams to protect their votes. 

One of the agents in Police detention is Francis Kasekende, the Kabila DP Supervisor. Kasekende was picked up for protesting the decision to allow unregistered voters to participate in the polls. 

Lameck Kigozi, the Southern Region Police spokesperson, says most of those picked up didn't get permission to go to Kyotera. He says 16 of the suspects were found staring electoral violence in various areas yet they are not residents.

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In a related development, about 100 students from Sacred Heart Kiteredde Secondary school have been barred from voting in various polling stations in Kyotera town council because they don't appear on the register.

Our reporter found the students stranded at Kasaali polling station claiming they have been blocked from the polls, yet they participated in the NRM party primaries. Fred Ssenfuna, one of the affected students told the presiding officers that he participated in the NRM party primaries and was eligible to participate in today's polls. 

However, the presiding officers stood their grounds saying they couldn't allow the students to vote since there is not proof that they are registered voters. 

There are 184 polling stations in Kyotera district with registered 113,354 voters.