Lira, Uganda | The Electoral Commission (EC) in Lira City has attributed delays in the payment of allowances to police constables and other polling officials to widespread errors in submitted personal details, including incorrect phone numbers, missing National Identification Numbers (NINs), and mismatched names.
Lira City Returning Officer James Aggrey Ipeto said the inconsistencies had affected the processing of payments under the government’s E-Cash system, which requires beneficiaries to receive funds through SIM cards registered in their own names.
In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Ipeto dismissed claims linking him to the delays, clarifying that his office does not handle payments. He explained that the role of the Returning Officer is limited to forwarding verified lists for processing, adding that payments are handled by the Ministry of Finance, over which his office has no authority.
Ipeto noted that while some officials had already received their allowances, others were left out due to errors in the submitted data. He added that a fresh list of affected personnel had since been compiled and forwarded for processing.
He further revealed that last week, he met with the regional election team and the Police Constables team leader Ocuku Hendry to harmonise records of those who missed payments. The updated lists, he said, were sourced through District Police Commanders and submitted to the relevant authorities.
Ipeto also cautioned the public against spreading misinformation, saying accusations of corruption and intimidation directed at him were unfounded and demoralising. He emphasized that any concerns should have been raised directly with his office, which he maintained has remained open and accessible.
However, affected officers have expressed frustration over the delays.
Dolly Akullo, a police constable deployed in Lira City West Division during the electoral period, said that although the Uganda Police Force had paid their two-month facilitation, the Electoral Commission component remains unpaid. She explained that repeated attempts to seek clarification from the EC offices had been unsuccessful, noting that officers were at one point directed to report to the office but found it unattended.
Akullo added that the continued movement in search of answers had become costly and time-consuming, and that the delays had negatively impacted their livelihoods.
Lira City Female Workers Representative Sarah Awor Angweri confirmed receiving complaints from police constables who presented valid appointment letters from the EC but had not been paid. She noted that her efforts to reach the Returning Officer earlier had not yielded immediate results, raising concern among the affected officers.
According to EC officials, the delays are not unique to Lira City but form part of a nationwide challenge affecting several categories of polling staff, including presiding officers, polling assistants and Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK) operators.
Records indicate that 226 police constables were deployed in Lira City West Division, but only 38 have so far received their EC allowances, leaving 188 unpaid. No payments have been reported in Lira City Central and East divisions.
Each polling official is entitled to sh225,000, paid in three instalments of sh75,000 per election activity, for work conducted between December 2025 and February 28, 2026.
