What began as a peaceful exercise turned chaotic as large numbers of voters turned up for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) LCI elections in Soroti City East.
The elections, aimed at selecting the NRM LCI flag bearers, village structures, and verifying registered party members, saw unusually high voter turnout driven by increased mobilization and citizens’ desire to choose leaders who truly represent them.
According to Shaban Ali, the Electoral Officer for Moru Apesur Ward, the disruptions were mainly caused by unruly youth who were not in the official NRM register but still showed up in large numbers, demanding to vote.
Their actions disrupted the electoral process and forced authorities to intervene.
“In Moru Apesur Cell D, the process started smoothly with elections for LCI chairpersons, NRM structures, elderly champions, and other positions. However, chaos broke out during the election for the youth representative,” Ali said.
“Sometimes, handling youth can be challenging. We had to call the police to remove disruptive elements. Once they were taken away, the elections continued successfully,” he added.
Ali confirmed that two individuals were arrested during the scuffle but were later released.
“We didn’t intend to detain them, our goal was simply to prevent them from disturbing the process.” he added.
He reported that the elections were eventually concluded peacefully in Moru Apesur Cell D, highlighting the strong voter turnout as a positive sign of effective mobilization.
“The turnout was good, Both the youth and elderly mobilized well, and it turned out to be an interesting election,” Ali stated.
Shaban urged the elected leaders to foster unity and avoid divisions, calling on them to work with those who lost in order to strengthen the NRM party’s presence in the region.
In contrast, other wards such as Central Ward and Pioneer Ward reported low voter turnout, with most candidates running unopposed.
Local leaders in these areas described the lack of competition as a sign of unity.
Meanwhile, Kigandani Ward experienced similar disruptions, with voters refusing to participate in the exercise. As a result, elections in the area were postponed until further notice
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