Students lining up to vote at Lugazi Central polling station
By Henry Nsubuga
POLLING stations in Buikwe district have resorted to using exercise books as ballot papers after the official polling materials run out in the ongoing NRM primaries.
Officials in Zinga and Kiyindi said the decision was taken to avoid further delays after voting had been postponed several times.
The officials used yellow exexercise books instead of the official registers, which were not found in the voting materials distributed to them.
In some areas, residents had by yesterday afternoon not cast their votes due to the delay in the supply of the voting materials.
The villages included Kasubi, Kikoma, Kyanja and Buzaama in Najja sub-county.
In some sub-counties of Buikwe, Ngogwe and Kawolo, and Buikwe town council, ballot papers for the post of district chairmanship were not distributed so voting did not take place.
Buikwe district chairman Mathias Kigongo said some areas were stopped from voting because it was too late.
“Some villages received their voting materials at 5:00pm. So not to cause chaos, the district NRM administrative secretary, Abas Lubega, decided to stop the exercise and ordered the ballot papers to be taken to the Police posts until tomorrow morning,” Kigongo said.
Eriabu Sajjabbi, the polling official at Kawolo Hospital, told New Vision that the turn up was poor because the hospital workers and policemen, who were supposed to vote at that post, were still at work.
At many polling stations, lines were flooded by secondary school students dressed in their uniforms.
The contenders for the Buikwe West parliamentary seat included Ibrahim Muwulize, the incumbent, and Baker Ssali.
The district Woman MP seat had Dorothy Mpiima, Halima Muwanguzi, Lydia Balemeezi and Esther Kirumira.
Buikwe South MP seat had David Mutebi and Anthony Mukasa, whereas the post of district chairman had two candidates, Mathias Kigongo, the district interim chairman, Sulaiman Kateregga.
