Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama has dismissed claims that Voter Location Slips are a must have for one to cast their ballot in the forthcoming Election.
Addressing press at the Commission headquarters on Monday, Byabakama dismissed claims that government is issuing the slips to lock out some people from voting.
The said slips bare a voter’s National Identify Card NIN number, voter number, name, colored photo and date of birth. It also shows the village, district, constituency, Sub County, parish and the polling station.
Byabakama says the slips are intended to confirm to voters where they shall vote from such that they do not go to wrong polling stations on voting day.
Justice Byabakama also warned the public against taking and attempting to use Voter Location Slips that don’t belong to them. Byabakama says by using colored photos, polling officials shall easily identify voters. He adds that they shall use metric machines to identify voters.
He further stressed that what is required of a voter is to appear on the voter register. Byabakama made it clear that having a Voter Location Slip and a National Identify Card shall not save a person whose name doesn’t appear on the register. He reasoned that one might not appear on the register because they didn’t register or because they have gone to a polling station where they aren’t voters.
Distribution of Slips started on January 3rd and shall go on till 12th January 2021. There is a concern however that the large numbers at the distribution centers could accelerate the spread of COVID-19.
Simon Wanyela, a voter in Lumumba zone Makerere University says he had to wait for numbers to reduce before going to get his slip.
We found him at the distribution center outside the Makerere University Guild offices in the afternoon when he had just received his slip having waited from morning for the numbers to reduce.
Wanyela is also concerned that those distributing slips are partisan, some wearing party (NRM) T-Shirts.
Although Justice Byabakama says they are using Commission teams, at Makerere even non staff of the Commission were helping with the process. Indeed, some are candidates using the opportunity to distribute posters to voters and seek votes. Wanyela is concerned the process might be exploited for political reasons.
Alawi Ssekikongo, the Local Council One Chairman of Muluka One in Makerere University identified the challenge as the process starting abruptly. He says he didn’t know of the process until Sunday.
He also says that the Commission has put only one distribution center for all the over six polling stations in Makerere.
Ssekikongo says the commission has not delivered as expected in this process. He says even as the slips are distributed, some voters still think they are a must for one to vote. He says civic education is lacking.
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