The voting process in Hoima district’s by-election, which includes 173 polling stations, experienced delays on Thursday morning.
This delay was primarily due to the absence of ten voters required by the electoral commission to be present at polling stations by 7 am to witness and initiate the voting process.
The by-election was called to fill the vacant position of district chairman following the death of former LCV chairman Kadiri Karungi in a road accident on March 17.
Persistent rainfall, which began on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday morning, significantly affected voter turnout.
In some polling stations, such as Kitoba, Kigorobya, and Kigorobya town mosque, polling materials arrived early but voters were delayed due to the rain, causing the voting process to commence towards 8 am.
Even after the voting had started, voters continued to arrive one by one.
By 10 am, the voting process was underway at Dwoli Primary School and Dwoli Church of Uganda polling stations, but there were still few voters due to the rain.
Hoima District has a total of 94,824 registered voters, with the rainy season adding to the challenges of voter participation.
Justice Simon Byabakama, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, had encouraged voters in a pre-polling meeting to prioritize voting before attending to their gardens due to the rainy season.
The Electoral Commission spokesperson, Mr. Paul Bukenya, acknowledged that the heavy rain disrupted the voting exercise during the morning hours, despite the timely arrival of voting materials.
To mitigate the impact of rain, polling officials were advised to shift the exercise indoors or temporarily halt it in open areas to prevent damage to polling materials.
The candidates in the by-election include Mr. Patrick Musinguzi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Mr. Uthuman Mugisha Mubaraka (NRM), Mr. Moses Aguuda (NUP), and independent candidates Mr. Vincent Muhumuza and Lenox Mugume.