Police in Kigando have arrested two electoral officials over an alleged attempt to fraudulently alter election results at the Kigando Sub-County Tally Centre in Mubende District.
The suspects are Kasaija Robert, the Returning Officer for Bubanda Parish, and Mutabazi Moses, an electoral polling constable. The two were arrested on Tuesday evening after allegedly presenting a ballot box that had been tampered with.
According to the Wamala Region Police Spokesperson, Lameck Kigozi, the ballot box presented by the officials had no security seals and was accompanied by a declaration form that had been altered.
Kigozi explained that the presiding officer at the tally centre became suspicious upon noticing inconsistencies in the materials and immediately alerted police officers on duty, who arrested the suspects.
Investigations so far indicate that the original declaration form from Bubanda Parish was missing, while the one submitted had been interfered with, raising serious concerns about attempted electoral malpractice.
As a result of the incident, the tally officer nullified all results from Bubanda Parish to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. The two suspects are currently being held at Mubende Police Station and face multiple charges, including failure to protect government stores, alteration of polling results, and theft of polling materials.
Kigozi noted that such actions undermine democracy and warned electoral officials against engaging in illegal practices, emphasising that police will not hesitate to act decisively against anyone found interfering with the electoral process. The matter is still under investigation, and upon completion, a case file will be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further legal guidance.
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