By Our Reporter
DOKOLO - The Uganda People's Congress Party candidate, Sarah Aguti Nyankori, has been declared the new Woman Representative for Dokolo District by the Electoral Commission.
Aguti secured victory with 23,044 votes, surpassing her closest competitor, Janet Rose Adongo, the NRM candidate, who garnered 14,001 votes. Dr. Rose Mary Austin Alwoc Ogwal of FDC obtained 8,168 votes, Ageno Harriet of NUP secured 727 votes, Esthee Akullo Obot, an independent candidate, received 790 votes, and Arao Rebecca garnered 439 votes.
The Dokolo District woman representative seat became vacant following the passing of Cecillia Atim Ogwal on January 18, 2024, due to cancer-related illness in India.Dokolo District, comprised of 484 villages and 71 parishes, hosted 173 polling stations for the voting exercise. A total of 95,683 registered voters participated, with 51.2% female and 47.88% male voters.
The results were announced by the returning officer, Erikwaine Ngobi, amidst the absence of any NRM member or candidate at the tally center, suggesting a potential concession from the NRM party.The by-elections in Dokolo faced low voter turnout, with only a quarter of registered voters casting their ballots by 10 am at more than 15 polling stations visited by reporters.
For example, at the Dokolo Progressive polling station, only 62 out of 309 registered voters had voted by 1 pm. Similar low turnouts were observed at other polling stations, attributed partly to delays caused by voter verification processes.Security deployment at the polling stations was minimal, with only one or two police officers stationed at each location.
However, no major incidents were reported as the voting proceeded.During his address, the EC Chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakam, praised the people of Dokolo for demonstrating a commitment to free, fair, and peaceful elections, setting an example for the rest of Uganda.
