Vote Counting Underway in Kagoma County

Vote Counting  is underway in Kagoma County where the electorate were earlier on voting for a Member of Parliament.

Four candidates contested in today's by-election. They include Moses Walyomu Muwanika, a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM Party, Timothy Lusala Batuwa-from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change-FDC party, and two independent candidates;  Muhammad Bizimack Bidondole and Alex Brandon Kintu.

The Kagoma County parliamentary seat fell vacant in March after Court presided over by three Justices; Fredrick Egonda -Ntende, Paul Mugamba and Alfonse Owiny-Dollo annulled the election of Moses Walyomu over voter bribery. Walyomu's election was challenged by his political rival Alex Brandon Kintu.

Preliminary results now pit NRM's Walyomu and independent candidate Brandon Kintu. Total provisional results for Budondo Sub County indicate that Walyomu has polled 4,316 against Brandon Kintu's 2,429 while FDC's Timothy Lusala Batuwa  polled 2075.

Electoral Commission Spokesperson Jotham Taremwa described the exercised as largely successful and smooth. He attributed the success to a number of  interventions  such as the  voter complaints desk that registered over 40,000 cases and restored confidence in the voters.

"Candidates' agents were calling in reporting cases of malpractice like vote stuffing, bribery and our team together with police responded immediately. While most voters were calling to inquire about their polling stations."he said