Angry supporters raid police station, destroy ballot boxes

Some of the torn ballot papers scattered at Pader Police Station after angry supporters raided the facility on Monday. PHOTO BY ROBERT OWOT 

In Summary

Chaos. The supporters of one of the candidates for Aruu County MP seat were protesting an impending vote recount.

Pader. Police in Pader on Monday morning fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse angry residents who had raided Pader Central Police Station protesting a court order pushing for a vote recount for Aruu North County Member of Parliament election.
Kitgum Chief Magistrate Japyem Okongo on Thursday last week ordered for vote recount after Mr James Nabinson Kidega filed an application challenging the outcome of the results.

Mr Kidega lost to Ms Lucy Achiro in the February 18 Parliamentary election. Mr Kidega polled 8,577 votes, while Ms Achiro garnered 8,579 votes.
The vote recount exercise was supposed to be held at Pader Chief Magistrate Court on Friday. However, the exercise could not go on after hundreds of Ms Achiro’s supporters stormed the police station at about 10am, overpowered the available police officers and destroyed the ballot boxes. Four ballot boxes were destroyed in the fracas.

“Following the court order, we went to the police station today (Monday) and started loading the ballot boxes to be taken to Pader Magistrate’s Court chamber for a vote recount, but Ms Achiro’s supporters stormed us and vandalised ballot boxes,” Mr Joseph Omona, Pader returning officer, said.
He accused Aruu County MP elect, Mr Odonga Otto of mobilising the youth to raid the police station where the ballots boxes were being kept to disrupt the vote recount.

The officer in charge of the station, Mr Romeo Onek Ojara, also accused the duo of being behind the police raid. He said the police will call them for interrogation. He said the two leaders will be charged with malicious damage of government properties, tresspass and disrupting of vote recount ordered by court.
However, Mr Otto and Ms Achiro have refuted the claims.

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