Fresh drama has rocked the contested Masaka City Woman MP race after a court-ordered recount uncovered startling inconsistencies between official tally sheets and the actual ballots found in boxes.
The ongoing vote recount in the disputed Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament election has exposed massive mismatches between the number of ballot papers reportedly cast and the votes physically recovered from ballot boxes at several polling stations.
While petitioner Nameere had earlier told court that the Returning Officer reduced or completely omitted her votes at some stations, the recount has now revealed a surprising twist: at certain polling stations, she was credited with more votes on tally sheets than the ballots found in the boxes.
At Kimwanyi P.7 polling station in Kiteredde Ward, Kimanya–Kabonera Division, official tally sheets show that out of 287 registered voters, NRM’sNameere allegedly secured 97 votes, while NUP’s Rose Nalubowa received 62 votes.
Other candidates — Juliet Kakande Nakabuye of the Democratic Front (DF) and independent contender Sauyah Nanyonga — were each allocated 13 votes.
However, when the ballot box was opened in court, officials found only 49 ballot papers, all of them ticked in favour of Nameere, raising serious questions about where the remaining votes went.
Even more puzzling results emerged at Binyonyi A (NAMBU-Z) polling station in Nyendo Ward, Nyendo–Mukungwe Division.
Here, the tally sheet credited Nameere with a staggering 339 votes, yet the ballot box contained only 41 votes. Nalubowa was allocated 30 votes on paper, while 31 ballots were physically recovered.
At Market Triangle (Open Space) polling station, tally sheets indicate that Nameere garnered 200 votes out of 500 registered voters. But the ballot box told a different story — just 21 votes were found in her favour.
Meanwhile, Nalubowa was credited with 50 votes on the tally sheet, yet the ballot box contained 58 ballots marked for her.
These dramatic discrepancies have intensified scrutiny of the electoral process in Masaka City, with the recount now raising more questions than answers. As the exercise continues, all eyes remain on the court to determine how these gaps will influence the final outcome of the hotly contested race.
This is a developing story. More updates to follow.