Residents of 12 villages in Acholibur Sub-county, Pader District, risk missing the Local Council I elections after their administrative units were omitted from the Electoral Commission’s register.
Village chairperson elections are scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, 2026, while elections for Parish and Ward, or LC II, chairpersons will be held on August 10. The Electoral Commission’s programme shows that campaigns for LC I candidates are running from July 20 to July 27.
Local leaders said the affected villages have operated as government-recognised administrative units for several years but do not appear among the villages approved for the elections.
The affected villages are:
- Wiigweng Parish: Opawao
- Omeda Parish: Omeda, Adoo Central and Twon-Okun
- Ogago Parish: Munutam
- Gem-Onyot Parish: Tedo-Tek, Dye-Oryang, Wang Winyo, Wii-Ogang and Arit East
- Got Okong Parish: Lubye South and Pawac Goltall
The omissions were first reported by Uganda Radio Network following complaints from local leaders in Acholibur.
Acholibur Sub-county chairperson James Obalim said the villages were created in 2021 after residents approved their establishment.
He said the sub-county subsequently submitted council resolutions and other required documents to Pader District for onward processing.
According to Obalim, local leaders expected the newly created villages to be recognised for elections and other government programmes.
He said the Electoral Commission informed him that the creation and gazetting of administrative units was handled through district authorities and the Ministry of Local Government rather than by the Commission.
Pader District has since petitioned the ministry to establish why the villages were excluded.
Obalim said the omission was difficult to understand because the villages have chairpersons, use government-issued stamps and have participated in public programmes.
Leaders question contradictory recognition
District councillor Godwin Wokorach said residents were frustrated that the Government had recognised the villages when delivering services but had excluded them from the electoral process.
Local leaders said some chairpersons in the affected villages had also received official recognition and payments attached to their positions.
They argued that denying the same communities an opportunity to elect village leaders created uncertainty over their administrative status.
District officials said the Electoral Commission received a list containing 871 villages from Pader.
They also said six villages had identical names, prompting the Ministry of Local Government to seek clarification before the register was finalised.
However, officials said the 12 Acholibur villages were not included in the information submitted to the Commission.
They believe the omission may have occurred when documents were transferred from the sub-county to Pader District or when the district forwarded its records to the Ministry of Local Government.
Pader leaders seek intervention
Pader District chairperson Alfred Akena described the omission as unfortunate and asked the Government to resolve the matter before polling day.
Akena said the Government had previously treated the affected villages as recognised administrative units when implementing programmes, including livestock restocking.
He warned that failure to correct the register would prevent residents from choosing their village leaders.
Akena returned as Pader District chairperson following the 2026 local government elections and took office in May.
Pader District Woman MP Lowila CD Oketayot said she had raised the matter with the Ministry of Local Government.
She said the ministry, as the institution responsible for administrative units, should explain how villages with official stamps and recognised leaders were left off the electoral register.
Parliament’s official list of members confirms Oketayot as the Pader District Woman Representative in the 12th Parliament.
Ministry promises investigation
Minister of State for Local Government Justine Nameere Nsubuga said the ministry would investigate the circumstances surrounding the omission.
She said the ministry’s permanent secretary would assign officials to determine why villages that had reportedly received government stamps were not included in the register.
The Ministry of Local Government officially identifies Nameere as the current Minister of State for Local Government.
The officials are expected to establish where the registration process failed and recommend what action can be taken before the elections.
With LC I polling scheduled for July 28, local leaders say there is limited time for the Ministry of Local Government and the Electoral Commission to resolve the dispute.
Unless the villages are formally added to the recognised administrative units, residents may be unable to elect LC I chairpersons for their communities.