The Electoral Commission added 445, 076 voters to the national voters register two months to the January 14 general elections. In a statement issued last year on September 17, the EC indicated that there were 17,658,527 registered voters eligible to participate in this year's general elections.
However, this number increased to 18,103,603 voters by November, a difference of 445,076 voters. The Commission didn't communicate the change in the number of voters. The addition of the voters on the national register came almost a year after the completion of the national voters register update exercise.
The process of registration of new voters and the transfer of voter location stopped on December 11, 2019. The EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi says these were voters whose eligibility had been contested. For instance, he says some of the voters were thought to have left the areas but later surfaced while some were even candidates in the same areas.
Byabakama says the Commission decided to add the over 400,000 voters on the register, given that the biometric voter verification kit (BVVK) and voter register with coloured photos would be used to prove the authenticity of the voters on voting day.
"But it transpired subsequently by the local communities that some of the people thought to have left the area, they surfaced. Some of them were even candidates. So decided among other things to have this number on the register provided one; on polling day the BVVK will be able to identify the rightful, eligible voter of that polling station. A coloured photo register was also another tool in ensuring that the correct voters of that polling station are the ones who will participate on that polling day," said Byabakama.
This, Byakabama says was meant to avoid scenarios where people turn up to vote on election day but find that their names aren't on the register.
"To me, that is not a problem," he says. Byakabama says only 10.7 million voters participated in the election out of the 18.1 million voters on the national register. Therefore, the turn up wasn't a result of "inflated register."
What is unclear is the location of these newly added voters. There are tens of polling stations in Kazo, Kiruhura and Isingiro districts that registered 100 per cent voter turnout. Here, Museveni scored 100 per cent at many of these polling stations.
For instance, the president scored 100 per cent at 143 polling stations in Kiruhura—his home district, 113 polling stations in Kazo district, which was carved out of Kiruhura two years ago. He also scored 100 per cent at 92 polling stations in Isingiro district.
These polling stations also registered 100 per cent voter turnout; 60 polling station stations in Kiruhura and 36 in Kazo registered 100 per cent voter turnout. Isingiro had the highest number of polling stations, 142 that recorded 100 per cent voter turnout.
Independent election observer, Crispy Kaheru says he sought for an explanation from the Electoral Commission before election day why the number of voters suddenly went up and was given a technical explanation that some electoral activities such as completion of work by parish tribunals that recommend who to remove, transfer or add to the register were disrupted by the nationwide lockdown in March 2020.
"What Electoral Commission didn't do was to come out and explain this technical process. They kept saying they would explain but didn't do it," Kaheru said. "I understand it but an ordinary Ugandan doesn't."
The EC announced the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni winner of the election after he garnered 59 per cent of the vote followed by Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform with 35 per cent.
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