Justice Simon Byabakama has stressed that all ballot boxes with broken seals will be replaced with new seals.
The Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama has stressed that all ballot boxes with broken seals will be replaced with new seals before Thursday’s elections.
Last week, NBS TV reported that some of the ballot boxes that were transported to districts of Hoima and Koboko Electoral Commission (EC) offices had broken seals.
EC officials in Hoima District district last week received 112 ballot boxes but notable sources including voting agents in the district reported that seals on some of the ballot boxes were broken while others had no seals.
However, in response to the allegations, the Electoral Commission has admitted that some of the boxes transported from Kampala to the different districts were found with broken seals.
In a statement released Saturday, Byabakama explained that the breakage came during transportation because the boxes were closely packed to each other.
“The breakage is a result of impact of stacked metal boxes sealed with plastic seals, pressing against each other, during transportation,” the EC boss clarified.
He, also, noted that each box found with a damaged seal will be resealed and the serial numbers of both the old and new seal also recorded.
“As a measure to ensure integrity and transparency of the process, stakeholders in the respective districts are briefed before the offloading begins.
Any box that is found with a broken seal gets a replacement, and the serial numbers of both the old and the new seals are recorded. This is done after ascertaining that the contents of the polling kit are all intact,” he noted.
This comes at a time when a section of Ugandans have already raised worries towards the news citing that the EC has already rigged elections for the incumbent Yoweri Museveni.
The EC boss, however, assured that all kits and boxes to be delivered at the respective polling stations will be sealed properly with only the presiding officer allowed to open them in the presence of ten registered voters at every polling centre.
“The Commission assures all stakeholders that the polling kit remains sealed up to the time of delivery at the polling station where the presiding officer will open it, on the morning of polling day, and in the presence of ten registered voters at the respective polling station.”
