Electoral Commission (EC) officials in Alebtong District have been accused of deleting the name of an NRM candidate from the LC2 candidates’ register on polling day and declaring an opposition candidate winner.
The allegations were made by Alebtong Deputy Resident District Commissioner Mathias Lutwama in an interview with our reporter on Monday, August 10, 2026. Lutwama identified the officials as Ejang Sarah, the EC supervisor for Alanyi Parish, and Ouni David, the supervisor for Abako Sub-county.
According to Lutwama, voters had gathered at the polling area as early as 7:00am, but by about 10:30am, the two supervisors were reportedly nowhere to be seen. He said they were later found together at a private residence, where Ogwang Sam’s name had allegedly been removed from the candidates’ register, and Onyong Richard, a UPC candidate, was declared elected unopposed.
Lutwama said the development sparked protests among voters, some of whom allegedly threatened to riot over what they considered an unfair and unlawful electoral process. He said the alleged removal of the candidate’s name was done without informing Ogwang or the voters who had gathered to participate in the election.
The Deputy RDC said he subsequently ordered the arrest of Ouni on allegations, including negligence of duty and fleeing with election materials. Police reportedly recorded the matter at Abako Police Post under SD Ref. 10/10/08/2026, he’s being transferred to Alebtong Police Station, with investigations ongoing, while Sarah is said to be still at large.
Lutwama said deleting a candidate from the register on polling day and declaring another candidate from a private residence contravened Electoral Commission regulations. He further alleged that similar incidents involving the deregistration of NRM candidates had been reported during the LC1 and women’s council elections and called for investigations into the conduct of the officials.
The allegations come as Uganda conducts LC2 elections across 10,718 parishes and wards. Voting is restricted to members of the newly elected LC1 executive committees, rather than ordinary residents, with voters using the traditional lining-up system to indicate their preferred candidates. The elections follow the July 23 village women’s committee polls and the July 28 LC1 chairperson and executive committee elections.