KAMPALA, UGANDA | The Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, has claimed that security personnel intercepted 30,000 pre-ticked ballot papers allegedly intended for ballot stuffing in the Kawempe North by-election.
Speaking at a polling station in Kawempe, Barugahara accused the National Unity Platform (NUP) of orchestrating the scheme to manipulate the election outcome.
“We realized that NUP printed the pre-ticked ballots and planned to stuff them into the boxes. That is why we spent the night here to ensure transparency,” Barugahara stated.
However, he reassured voters that the electoral process was proceeding without irregularities.
“The ballot boxes have arrived without any signs of tampering. They were unsealed in the presence of all candidate agents, and voting is ongoing peacefully at Mbogo Polling Station,” he said.
Barugahara expressed confidence in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, Faridah Nambi, stating that the party had conducted thorough mobilisation.
“This time, NRM will win with trust. Even in 2021, the late Muhammad Ssegirinya did not win by a big margin. We went door to door to secure votes, and President Museveni personally campaigned for Nambi.”
He urged the youth to refrain from engaging in election-related violence.
NUP has not officially responded to the allegations, but party supporters have dismissed Barugahara’s claims as baseless and an attempt to discredit their candidate.
As the election continues, observers are monitoring the process closely amid rising concerns about electoral fairness and security presence.