Kapsoboiywo: A Polling Station That Had Two Voters’ Registers

Kapsoboiywo polling station that is situated in Kapsomboyo Parish, Kapnarkut Town Council in Kween district used two voter’s registers during the recently concluded general elections.

 

The station was first registered (and recognized) as the country’s smallest polling station with only 9 voters, according to Electoral Commission data released before January 14th presidential election.

 

Out of the 9 registered voters, 7 participated in the presidential election. The same register was used during LCV district chairperson elections.

 

However, the polling station received a new voters register with more 85 voters who participated in the LCIII elections. The new register brought the number of voters at the polling station to 94. The Parish has 6 cells with a total population of over 1,000 people, according to local leaders. 

     

Daniel Satya, the Electoral Commission Supervisor for Kaseko Sub county says that during the registration and update of the voter register, the particulars of Kapnarkut town council were never submitted since the town council was new.

He said that the 9 voters remained in the old parish in its mother sub county of Benet. 

   

Satya says the electoral officials realized the problem when they were updating. The Commission ordered for another registration of the voters in the new ward of Kapnarkut which increased the voters to 94.

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But by the time the new voters’ register was brought, two elections had already been conducted with only 9 voters participating in the presidential, parliamentary and the LCV elections.

“The new register came back a day to the elections of the LCIII Chairpersons, so we had to mobilize the voters to turn up for the voting now using the new register which had 94 voters” he said.

   

Fred Chebeti, the Beneti Sub County Chairperson who is also the Acting Chairperson for Kapnarkut town council wonders how the electoral commission issued a voters register with only 9 voters yet the parish has over 1000 people.

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Alex Sande, the Chairperson LCII of Taragon Parish in the Benet sub county said the problem started earlier and the Electoral Commission explained to the local leaders that those were the only people registered and eligible for voting. 

 

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After they complained of having only 9 registered voters, Sande says the Electoral Commission embarked on fresh registration but the register came late when three elections had already been held.

 

Like Kapsoboiywo, Bumayoka parish in Bumayoka Sub County in Bududa district  registered only 13 voters.  

According to local leaders, Bumayoka Sub County gave birth to Kuushu Town Council and the parish (Bamayoka) which was supposed to be part of the new town council remained hanging as it was neither allocated to Bumayoka nor to Kuushu Town Council.  

Bumayoka Parish has got four villages of Mabale, Lumbuku,Lukonga,Kuushu A.

 

Residents say most of the people who were in Bumayoka parish were taken to the two wards of Bunamee and Bunashiswa in Kuushu Town Council leaving it with only 13 registered voters.

 

Seera Agatha, one of the residents of the same parish said she had hoped she would be "carved out" to Kushu Town Council since she belongs to Bunamee cell as per her identity card.

 

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According to Robert Mukoya, the Bumayoka sub county supervisor for electoral commission, the parish was supposed to be in Kushu town council because most of the villages were part of Kuushu town council which was carved out of Bumayoka Sub County.  

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Dison Walandama the parish chairperson Bumayoka said after carving Kuushu town council, they thought Bumayoka parish would be among the wards in the new town council which was not the case.

He is now confused over how the government remained with a parish "which doesn’t exist". 

 

Ronald Nsereko, the Bududa district electoral commission returning officer said the police station was created out of need by the leaders in the area who asked for it.

He said leaders asked him to create the polling station saying they were trekking a long distance to the next polling station in Kuushu town council which is why they only got 13 people who registered to vote from the old polling station.

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