Missing Voters Names, Poor Turn Out Mars Polls in Arua

Some voters in several parts of the country, are not voting because their names are missing from the voters register.

Many who turned up at the polling stations this morning were told that they could not vote because their names are missing from the register.

In Kawempe North many voters stood wondering why their names were missing from the register.

William Mbonigaba, a voter from Kikakya parish says during the recent voter register update exercise, he found his picture missing and complained to the voter display officers.

He was however left speechless this morning when all his particulars were not on the register. Rwangyezi Rona says she registered as a voter last year, with her mum, but this morning she was shocked to find that only her mum’s name appeared on the register.

Two other voters, Steven Wamala and Madina Naku, could not find their names on the register at park yard polling station.

Ishmael Bukenya, the Kikaya village LC I chairman, has started compiling names of residents whose names are missing on the register.

In Arua, many people were left disappointed after they found out that their names were not on the voters register.

Fred Odravira, one of the voters who was supposed to vote at the Arua police polling station A, says he left a disappointed man after he failed to trace his name at two polling stations.

He accused electoral commission of deleting his name from the register without his consent.

Dr Omar Bondo, did not find his name on the voters register at Mango shade A polling station. He says the polling officials could not explain why his name was missing from the voters register.

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But Rose Atima, the electoral commission returning officer for Arua, attributes the missing names to typing errors, when the register was been printed.

She explains that it is very unusual for voter’s names to be deleted from the register.

But all was not gloom for the voters. Martin Gwoktho, a first time voter was excited to find his name on the register and was full of glee as he cast his vote to decide the political future of Uganda.

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Meanwhile, the turnout has been poor. Atima hopes that voter turn out will improve in the afternoon