Mukono LC V Election: Electoral Commission Admits Tallying Errors in Court

During proceedings at the High Court, Electoral Commission (EC) returning officer Emily Amongin acknowledged that mistakes occurred in the tallying process for the Mukono district LC V chairperson election. This admission is central to the election petition filed by National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga, who is contesting the win of NRM’s Francis Lukooya Mukoome.

Muyanja’s petition highlights significant discrepancies, including issues with declaration of results forms, missing polling station returns, and irregularities in how results were tallied. The court heard how an initial tally declared Muyanja the winner, only for a subsequent tally to declare Lukooya victorious by a margin of 418 votes.

Amongin faced cross-examination regarding contested results, admitting that while EC tallies results from polling stations, errors can happen. She explained that declaration forms could be rejected if figures didn’t align with other electoral documents. However, lawyers for Muyanja presented forms with concerning notes, such as allegations of ballot papers being taken by armed personnel at Kiwafu Tea Estate polling station, yet the results were still included.

Further complications arose with the omission of results from four polling stations, which collectively had nearly 2,000 registered voters. Amongin confirmed voting had occurred but stated the EC had not received the results, acknowledging reports of violence in some affected areas. Despite these missing returns, Lukooya was declared the winner.

Presiding officers from several polling stations also admitted to tallying errors during their testimony. One officer, Yulian Nalwanga, could not explain a form showing an equal number of votes for two candidates and unused ballots, while Godfrey Nsamba acknowledged a discrepancy where the total votes cast exceeded the number of registered voters. Another officer, Luke Byamukama, faced questions about alterations on a declaration form, initially claiming correct figures were recorded before others were entered under pressure.

The case continues as the court weighs the impact of these alleged irregularities on the election’s validity. The judge has also expunged an affidavit due to the witness’s failure to appear for cross-examination and rejected certain electronic evidence over chain of custody issues.

Source: https://observer.ug/news/mukono-polling-officials-admit-tallying-errors-in-lc-v-election