How Mukono returning officer declared two LC5 Chairpersons in one day

Drama unfolded in Mukono on Friday after the district returning officer declared two LC5 chairpersons in one day, triggering allegations of coercion, ballot stuffing, and military intimidation.

In the heated Mukono Poll Drama: Two Chairpersons; NRM's Francis Lukooya Mukoome (L) and NUP's Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga (R) were declared in one day

Mukono, Uganda: Mukono District was thrown into chaos on Friday after the District Returning Officer, Emily Amongin, controversially declared two different winners for the LC5 Chairperson seat within the same day, sparking allegations of coercion, ballot stuffing, and political interference.

At about 3:00 pm, Ms Amongin announced Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga of the National Unity Platform (NUP) as the duly elected chairperson, saying he had polled 51,686 votes, with a narrow defeat of Francis Lukooya Mukoome of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), at 50,254 votes.

But moments later, Amongin was reportedly forcibly removed from the tally centre by a group of NRM officials led by the party’s district Chairperson, Haruna Ssemakula. Witnesses said the group locked themselves in a separate room with the returning officer for hours.

When Amongin re-emerged at around 6:30 pm, she dramatically reversed her earlier announcement.

She declared Lukooya the new winner, stating that he had now polled 52,523 votes, while Muyanja had 52,105 votes, and Ssenyonjo 3,095 votes, figures that differed significantly from the initial declaration.

Notably, by the time Amongin was forced out of the tally centre earlier, she had not issued Muyanja with an official Declaration of Results (DR) form, a procedural gap that later became central to the dispute.

What Unfolded Behind Closed Doors

After Muyanja was first declared winner, it is reported that NRM officials stormed the returning officer’s office protesting the outcome. “All MPs here are from NUP. This seat must be NRM,” Ssemakula reportedly said.

Lukooya also challenged the declaration, insisting that the returning officer had “misallocated” his votes. “She has given my votes to Muyanja. I cannot accept this loss,” he said.

According to an NRM official who spoke on condition of anonymity, several ballot papers were allegedly ticked in favour of Lukooya during the closed-door meeting and stuffed into a ballot box before the second declaration was written.

Earlier in the day, Muyanja had warned of widespread irregularities, claiming voter intimidation and ballot stuffing at several polling stations. He alleged that heavily armed soldiers travelling in army trucks with concealed number plates chased voters from at least six polling stations and stuffed ballot boxes in favour of the NRM candidate.

“We have polling stations with fewer than 200 voters but over 300 ballot papers ticked. We shall demand cancellation of such results,” Muyanja told journalists.

A visit by this reporter to Lwetega Kiwafu, Buwujja (Mpunge Sub-county), Mpunge Church of Uganda, and Kazo Islamic polling stations found destroyed ballot boxes, with residents confirming that voters had vandalised them after alleged ballot stuffing by armed men.

A polling agent at Kazo Islamic polling station claimed that Ssemakula, accompanied by soldiers, ordered surrender of ballot books. “They started ticking the ballots themselves, stuffed them in the boxes, and chased everyone away,” the agent said.

By press time on Monday, NRM district chairperson for Mukono, Mr Haruna Ssemakula, had not responded to repeated requests for comment on the allegations of coercion, ballot stuffing, and intimidation.

The Electoral Commission had also not issued an official position on the conflicting declarations, leaving Mukono residents in uncertainty over who their legitimate LC5 Chairperson is.