Violence and confusion erupted in several villages within Buteba Sub-county and the Eastern Division of Busia District as large numbers of Kenyan nationals crossed the border to take part in Uganda’s NRM village-level elections, which began on Monday.
Busia District lies at the Uganda-Kenya border, where shared ethnic groups like the Samia and Iteso make it difficult to distinguish between nationals of the two countries due to familial ties.
The most affected areas included Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B in the Eastern Division, and Okame, Abochet, Amagoro, and Alupe in Buteba Sub-county.
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In Buteba, voting was suspended in four villages—Alupe, Amagoro, Abochet, and Okame—after large numbers of Kenyan nationals from Teso South crossed into Uganda and attempted to vote. Busia District NRM Chairperson Eric Masiga confirmed the suspension, citing the presence of ineligible foreign voters.
“We were relying strictly on the yellow book, and when Kenyans insisted on casting votes, chaos broke out, forcing us to halt the process,” Mr Masiga said, adding that voting in those areas was rescheduled for the next day.
In Marachi D, Sofia A, and Sofia B, the elections were delayed amid claims that some candidates had imported Kenyan nationals to vote. However, voting eventually resumed after local agreements were reached.
NRM Registrar for Eastern Division, Linet Lilian Acheng, acknowledged the confusion. “We attempted to use the yellow book, but candidates disagreed, so we switched to a queuing system without verifying eligibility,” she said.
Elsewhere, elections were postponed in several villages in Dabani, Western Division, Masinya, Lumino, Lunyo, and Busime sub-counties. In Dabani, polls were halted in Nangwe North, Nangwe South, and Shamitumba due to missing names in the register. Similar issues disrupted voting in Buyondi (Lumino), Hadoda (Masinya), and Nangwe Madibira (Western Division), where residents objected to the inclusion of non-residents and the exclusion of actual locals.
Tensions escalated in many areas, leading to violent confrontations. In Mugungu B (Eastern Division), police had to intervene after fights broke out. Resident Patrick Lomony claimed that registered voters were turned away without explanation. Another voter, Talemwa Tigger, accused one candidate, Godfrey Benezer, of manipulating the voter list to disadvantage his opponent, Juma Charles.
Further violence was reported in Marachi D, Sofia A, and Arubaine due to disputes over voter eligibility. In Rukaka village (Busime), police fired warning shots to quell angry crowds.
One incident in Kateke A village, Buteba Sub-county, took a bizarre turn when LC1 chair-elect Lawrence Ikemeri was physically assaulted by his own son after winning the election. Busia District Police Commander Alice Kuka confirmed that the son, Stephen Okameri, attacked his father and fled to Kampala. Police have since opened an assault case and detained two other individuals in connection with election-related unrest.
Commenting on the chaos, NRM Bukedi regional spokesperson Rogers Mulindwa attributed the disorder to attempts by unregistered individuals to vote. “I’ve toured many villages in Busia, and most voting is proceeding normally. The few disruptions are mainly due to non-listed voters forcing their way into the process,” he said.
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