In much of the Busoga region, voting in the LC5 elections that that began on a very low note this morning, is slowly picking up.
In Jinja, people opted to report at work first before heading to the polls.
Robert Nsubuga, a voter at Gabula Road polling station, says he understands why little attention is being given to the LC5 elections. He says many more people are interested in the LC3 and LC4 elections and he doesn't expect a high turn up in today's polls.
However other voters have a different opinion.
Robert Kanusu, the Uganda People's Congress candidate for the Jinja LC5 chair, says people are demoralized by allegations of rigging in the presidential and parliamentary elections. He claims the rigging has not stopped.
Kanusu says that this morning he found pre-ticked ballot papers at Kayunga A polling station in Mafubira sub-county. His supporters were involved in a brief standoff with election agents, but an intervention from the Jinja District Police Commander Jonathan Musinguzi calmed down the atmosphere.
Flavia Mujulizi, the Jinja Returning Officer, says voting in other parts of the district is going on well.
In the neighboring districts of Kamuli, Kiyunga, Kaliro and Buyende, voting started slowly, but is gradually picking up. Most of the districts in the Busoga region experienced their first heavy rain in several weeks and this affected voting in the early hours of the morning.
Dennis Ebong, the Kiyunga Returning Officer and Charles Tenywa the Returning Officer of Kamuli, say voting materials arrived at polling stations in time for the elections.
Yazid Mwase, a resident of Butekanja in Kamuli, says it wasn't the rain that is keeping him away from the elections. He says he chose not to vote because LC5 candidates, unlike the parliamentary and presidential candidates, did not give him handouts of soap, sugar, salt and money.
Stanley Bayole, one of the seven candidates for the Mayuge LC5 chair, says voting in his district is progressing well. He says he expects it to end well, provided no rigging takes place.
//Cue in: "My people don't fight ..."
Cue out: "... a chicken thief."//
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