Luuka NRM Voters Boycott Party Primaries for Local Council Leaders Over Messes in Previous Parliamentary Polls

Luuka NRM Voters Boycott Party Primaries for Local Council Leaders Over Messes in Previous Parliamentary Polls

Details have emerged as to why there was a general low voter turn up in Luuka District especially Luuka North as the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) conducted primaries for Local Council Five (LCV) chairpersons, municipal and city mayors.

According to sources, the frustrated voters claim that there is ‘a powerful ‘person in Bukoma sub-county, Luuka District who has made it a habit to bribe election officials and determine the outcome of the exercises against the will of the electorates.

The voters in Luuka north singled out the recently concluded party parliamentary primaries where majority members voted for Counsel David Balondemu as the flag bearer only to be shocked when the officials controversially declared John Bagoogle, who had allegedly laggard in 3^rd position.

‘’ We are stakeholders and we respect our votes, why would someone impose leaders that have not been chosen by us. Following the previous mismanagement of the elections for Luuka North flag bearer where they grabbed our victory and imposed Bagoole on us, we decided to abandon voting today. Let that powerful person who influences the process go and vote ‘’, said one of the female NRM voters who preferred anonymity.

The NRM voters allege that some election officials created a non-existing polling station where Bagoole was clandestinely given 700 votes. This and other reasons have discouraged voters to participate in the subsequent elections citing rampant malpractices.

This comes at a time when several petitions are before the NRM tribunal awaiting determination.

It should be noted that in the recently concluded NRM polls for Parliament Flag Bearer of Luuka North County Constituency conducted on the 17th July, 2025 Balondemu and Meddy Mulumba who also petitioned the tribunal contested against Bagoole John Ngobi and Engineer Kyobe Luke Inyensiko.

The Petitioners aver that the NRM electoral commission returned the Bagoole as the validly elected flag bearer National Resistance Movement, 2026/31 Member of Parliament of Luuka North County Constituency, having obtained 9238 votes against David Balondemu’s 7,238, Meddie Mulumba’s 2,740 votes.

The petitioners are aggrieved by the declaration of the first Bagoolet as the validly elected flag bearer National Resistance Movement, 2026 Member of Parliament of Luuka North County Constituency.

The petitioners aver and contend that the election of the Bagoole was marred with gross irregularities which among others included intimidation, bribery, disfranchisement, inflating of votes in favour of the Bagoole and failure of the NRM Electoral officials to take charge of the election, and further that the election process failed to meet the expected standards on totality, when;

In Bukoova Town Council, Balondemu David allegedly got a total of 2205 votes according to the DR- forms received but he was only given 1305 votes by the District registrar.

During the release of the results, the District Registrar also stated that he had a problem of reading and understanding figures thus he is not good at it.

Balondemu David’s name was deleted from the voters Register and he did not vote despite being a duly nominated candidate with an authenticated voters location slip from NRM Kyadondo offices. The Respondents allegedly orchestrated a flawed process marred by irregularities and voter manipulation.

The petitioners also claim that Security officials took over the tally centre where they arrested several people including a one Don Bwana, a candidate for Luuka South Constituency, who was arrested from the tally centre by the police and held in cells overnight, while Dan Kibira another candidate for Luuka South was threatened with arrest making the Petitioners and their agents to flee the tally centre for safety following a warning to arrest other candidates.

‘’The 2nd respondent engaged in bribery by distributing Ugx: 100,000 to each polling officials at the village level in all villages in Luuka North constituency with the intent of influencing the electoral process in his favor which act undermines the integrity of the democratic process.The 2nd respondent deployed vehicles notoriously in Ikumbya sub-county with people protected by the security giving out money to voters in lines and preventing people to vote for the 1st and 2nd petitioner thus disenfranchising the petitioners and this took place in the whole sub-county intimidating voters and instructing them to vote for the 2nd respondent.During the election armed men clad in UPDF uniform unlawfully participated in the Electoral process engaging in acts of intimidation and harassment of voters to unduly influence the outcome in favor of the declared winner. The men in uniform took it to themselves to conduct the Elections, a role that is for polling officials, they openly monitored polling stations in a manner designed to instill fear, for example a video clip in Musita Village. In Ikumbya, men in uniform directed voters to vote and secured those giving out money in favor of the declared candidate’’, reads in part the petition.

In his petition, Balondemu says the election was marred by gross irregularities, mal-practices, voter manipulation, which affected the outcome. Balondemu alleges that Security personnel and agents of the respondents intimidated voters, preventing them from voting for me and armed men in UPDF uniforms unlawfully participated in polling stations, harassing voters and influencing them to vote for the 1st respondent.

It is also alleged that on 16th July 2025 (eve of elections), the Bagoole moved in vehicle Reg. No. UBK 750E distributed money throughout Ikumbya subcounty ranging between UGX 300,000 and UgX 500,000 (split among youth, women and men) and when reported to police, no action was reportedly taken.

He further alleges that Kyobe engaged in bribery by distributing Ugx 100,000 to each polling officials at the village level in all villages in Luuka North constituency with intent of influencing the electoral process in his favour which undermines the integrity of the democratic process.

‘’The Respondents deployed vehicles notoriously in Ikumbya sub county with people protected by the security giving out money to voters in lines and preventing people to vote for the 1st and 2nd petitioners thus disenfranchising the petitioners and this took place in the whole sub county intimidating voters and instructing them to vote for them’’, reads the petition to the tribunal.

VOTE INFLATION & FALSIFICATION

In Buyunze A, Balondemu’s votes were reduced from 128 to 02, while Bagoole’s votes were inflated from 101 to 465. In Bukendi A, Kyobe’s votes were inflated from 30 to 60. In Nabitama A, B, and Bukoom A B, no voting took place, but fake results were reportedly submitted.

The security officials took over the tally center where they arrested several people including a one Don Bwana, a candidate of Luuka South Constituency, who was arrested from the tally centre by the police and held in cells overnight, while Dan Kibira another candidate for Luuka South was threatened with arrest making your humble petitioners and their agents uncomfortable and in fear at the tally centre.

The applicants want the tribunal to declare the Bagoole victory invalid, prosecute electoral offenders, Nullify the election and order fresh primaries.