Mukono Men Arrested After Allegedly Disguising Themselves as Women to Vote in Women Council Elections
By Skika Reporter.
Several men were arrested in Mukono District after allegedly disguising themselves as women in an attempt to participate in women-onlyoma Division, where two unidentified men were reportedly found dressed in traditional women’s attire, including gomesi, hijabs, wigs, makeup and glasses, allegedly to Local Council elections, in incidents that overshadowed an otherwise largely peaceful voting exercise.
The most dramatic incident occurred at Kiwanga-Lwanda Cell in Goma Division, where two unidentified men were reportedly found dressed in traditional women’s attire, including gomesi, hijabs, wigs, makeup and glasses, allegedly to gain access to the women-only vote.
Election officials became suspicious and the pair were arrested before being handed over to police. Authorities said two other suspects believed to be involved managed to escape before they could be apprehended.
At St. Paul Catholic Parish polling station in Mukono Central Division, voting proceeded peacefully as women queued to verify their details and cast their ballots. However, the exercise was allegedly attempted to participate in the women-only election, including the husband of one of the contestants, Lady briefly disrupted when Wantoni Police arrested three additional men accused of interfering with the election.
According to election officials, some of those arrested allegedly attempted to participate in the women-only election, including the husband of one of the contestants, Lady Florence Nabuguzi. Two youths, identified only as Didiz and Gideon, were also detained after residents accused them of campaigning for a National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate during the voting process.
Beyond the arrests, the elections were also marked by complaints over alleged electoral irregularities.
At Nama 2 Village in Nama Sub-county, independent candidate Florence Namyalo withdrew from the race, claiming that the voters’ register contained names from neighbouring Buyuki Villageence Nakyeyune, who won in Kiwanga-Lwanda Village, thanked residents for their confidence in her leadership. Sherina Nansubuga, elected in Kavule Cell, promised. She accused election officials of ignoring her complaints before declaring rival Betty Nasaze elected unopposed.
“We were denied a fair hearing despite raising concerns about the voters’ register,” Namyalo said.
Despite the disputes, several newly elected leaders pledged to serve their communities.
Florence Nakyeyune, who won in Kiwanga-Lwanda Village, thanked residents for their confidence in her leadership. Sherina Nansubuga, elected in Kavule Cell, promised to advocate for women’s and children’s rights, strengthen efforts to combat gender-based violence and defilement, and encourage women to participate in government livelihood programmes.
Meanwhile, Suzan Mayanja, elected in Kitega Village, pledged to work closely with residents and deliver accountable leadership.
Mukono Central Division Electoral Officer Robert Sekirya described the elections as generally peaceful, noting that the reported incidents involving men allegedly attempting to vote in the women-only polls were isolated cases.
Police had not released the identities of the arrested suspects by press time, and investigations into the incidents were ongoing.
