Parish Presiding Officer, Constable Arrested Over Election Fraud in Mubende

Police in Mubende District have arrested a parish presiding officer and a police constable over alleged election fraud after unsealed ballot boxes and conflicting declaration forms were discovered at a sub-county tally centre, forcing the cancellation of local government election results.

The arrests followed irregularities reported during local government elections conducted on Tuesday, February 4, 2026, in Bubanda Parish, Kigando Sub-county.

According to the Wamala Region Police spokesperson, Lameck Kigozi, the suspects are Robert Kassaija, a police constable, and Moses Mutabaazi, the Bubanda Parish Presiding Officer.

“Yesterday at around 7:30pm at Kigando Sub-county tally centre, police arrested two individuals in connection with election fraud following the presentation of unsealed ballot boxes and inconsistencies on declaration forms, which disrupted the work of the sub-county presiding officer,” Kigozi said.

He explained that the irregularities came to light after two candidates from Bubanda Parish separately presented different declaration forms to the Returning Officer, raising suspicions of tampering.

“This prompted the Returning Officer to direct police to arrest the suspects. They were then taken to Mubende Central Police Station,” Kigozi added.

Kigozi condemned the actions of the suspects, saying their conduct undermined the integrity of the electoral process and directly affected voters.

“It is very unfortunate that voters were denied the chance to choose their leaders,” he said.

“The suspects will be charged with three offences, including alteration of results, failure to protect polling materials, and neglect of duty. The case file will soon be submitted to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for further guidance.”

As a result of the incident, the election results from Bubanda Parish were cancelled. By press time, the Mubende District Returning Officer had not announced new dates for fresh elections in Kigando Sub-county.