Africa-Press – Uganda. Hundreds of furious residents stormed the streets of Kapchorwa town on Saturday, calling for the immediate nullification of the just-concluded NRM party primaries and demanding the arrest of District Registrar Akram Kamonges, who they accuse of orchestrating large-scale electoral fraud.
The protests followed the declaration of Twalla Fadil as the NRM flagbearer for Tingey County and Evelyn Chemutai for Kapchorwa Woman MP—results that several aspirants and voters described as fraudulent and manufactured.
“What we are demanding is simple—transparency,” said Rose Chelangat, one of the losing aspirants for Tingey County.
“Votes were inflated, subcounty results fabricated, and our complaints were ignored.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Betty Kali Cheptoek, who contested for the Woman MP flag and branded the exercise “a complete sham.”
“When it came to tallying, they overturned the results and declared me number two. We were not allowed to verify declaration forms. When I went to lodge a complaint, I was chased like a dog,” Cheptoek told journalists during the protest.
According to residents and local leaders, the fraud included the mysterious appearance of ghost polling stations and statistically impossible vote counts. In Cheptarat Subcounty, where only 2,004 voters are registered, 2,690 votes were reportedly cast for Woman MP and over 3,000 for the male MP seat.
Even more bizarre was the emergence of results from “Tingei Subcounty”—a non-existent administrative unit—which were used to bolster the declared wins.
Bosco Nazeba, a councillor from Kamwogo Subcounty, questioned how such a fictitious unit ended up in official records.
“We found out that the declaration forms for Kapchorwa Woman MP are what the registrar used to declare the male MP for Tingey, and vice versa,” said Rev. Samuel Bukoses.
“We are seeing that NRM is becoming more corrupt than before.”
Matters escalated when protestors claimed that Akram Kamonges attempted to flee the district. According to Cheptoek, the registrar was intercepted in Kaserem Subcounty while allegedly carrying Shs 68 million in cash, blank declaration forms, and an NRM party stamp.
“The moment he saw us, he tried to run,” Cheptoek said. “We chased him down and handed him over to police with all the cash.”
Following mounting public pressure, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi declared the elections in Kapchorwa null and void, citing overwhelming evidence of malpractice and corruption.
“The electoral process in Kapchorwa was grossly mismanaged,” Odoi said. “We are left with no choice but to cancel the results. Fresh elections will be scheduled soon.”
While the announcement brought some relief to protestors, many insisted that nullification alone was not enough.
“We don’t want a cover-up,” Cheptoek warned. “We want the registrar and his accomplices prosecuted. Free and fair elections start with transparency and accountability.”
Security remained tight in Kapchorwa town on Sunday as party leaders, aspirants, and supporters awaited fresh guidance from the NRM secretariat.
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