By Aggrey Twesigye
Voting at Karugangama Cell polling station in Mbarara City was suspended on Tuesday after violent clashes erupted between supporters of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate and the incumbent Karugangama Cell chairperson, Japhari Mpiima, who is facing independent candidate Wilson Kafureeka.
The violence broke out when a section of voters alleged that they had been denied the opportunity to line behind their preferred candidates.
The aggrieved voters reportedly attempted to force their way into the polling station, prompting police to intervene by firing teargas and warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
Following the unrest, the village election officer suspended the voting exercise and was later escorted away from the polling station under heavy guard by Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers.
Speaking to this reporter, Mbarara City Election Administrator Violet Atuhurra confirmed that voting at Karugangama Cell polling station had been cancelled. However, she did not indicate when the Electoral Commission would conduct a fresh poll.
Meanwhile, incumbent chairperson Japhari Mpiima accused a section of local leaders of interfering with the electoral process, alleging that they had influenced the conduct of the election.
