Uganda's NRM village elections cancelled after Kenyan nationals cross border to vote

Tensions flared in multiple villages within Buteba Sub-county and the Eastern Division—areas bordering Kenya—when hundreds of Kenyan nationals crossed into Uganda to participate in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) village-level elections held on Monday.

Located along the Uganda-Kenya border, Busia District is home to closely knit ethnic communities such as the Samia and Iteso, whose cross-border family ties often blur the distinction between citizens of the two nations.

Among the most affected areas were Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B in the Eastern Division, while Okame and Abochet villages in Buteba Sub-county also reported significant disruptions.

In Buteba Sub-county, voting was suspended in four villages—Alupe, Amagoro, Abochet, and Okame—after hundreds of Kenyans from Teso South crossed the border to take part in the NRM elections.

Busia District NRM Chairperson, Eric Masiga, confirmed the cancellations, citing the unlawful participation of foreign nationals.

"We were adhering strictly to the yellow book. When some Kenyans crossed over and insisted on voting, tensions flared and chaos erupted, forcing us to call off the process," said Masiga.

He stated that elections in the affected villages were postponed to the following day.

In Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B, voting was delayed due to allegations that some candidates had brought in hundreds of Kenyan nationals to vote. However, the process later resumed.

Eastern Division NRM Party Registrar, Linet Lilian Acheng, noted that despite the disruptions, voting proceeded after candidates reached a consensus on the method.

"We initially attempted to use the yellow books, but the candidates rejected the approach, so we resorted to lining up without following that procedure," she said.

Elections were postponed in several villages across Dabani, Western Division, Masinya, Lumino, Lunyo, and Busime sub-counties.

In Dabani Sub-county, voting did not take place in Nangwe North, Nangwe South, and Shamitumba after party members discovered their names missing from the voter register.

In Lumino’s Buyondi village and Masinya’s Hadoda village, polling was disrupted by outbreaks of violence.

Meanwhile, in Nangwe Madibira village (Western Division), elections were cancelled after residents alleged that non-residents had been included in the voter register.

Elections in Nangwe Madibira village (Western Division) were postponed following accusations of a flawed voter register. Residents argued that non-village individuals had been included on the list, while the names of legitimate residents were absent.

"We could not allow the voting to continue with such discrepancies in the register," stated David Tibita, a local resident.

"Some rightful residents were left off, and non-residents were added."

The elections were marked by chaotic scenes in several areas. In Mugungu B (Eastern Division), violent clashes between voters led to police intervention.