Joel Ssenyonyi, Member of Parliament for Nakawa West and Leader of the Opposition, has flagged concerns over the placement of polling stations within military barracks ahead of upcoming elections.
Ssenyonyi stated that while electoral laws explicitly prohibit locating polling stations inside barracks, a recent ground assessment indicates that some stations, officially listed as outside the Naguru-Ntinda barracks, are in fact within the fenced military premises.
He described this as a serious breach of access regulations, noting that barracks have strict entry restrictions that could impede voters.
“The law prohibits the placing of polling stations within barracks. There are polling stations which on paper are outside the Naguru-Ntinda barracks, but the ground assessment shows they were actually positioned inside the fenced barracks, contrary to electoral laws,” Ssenyonyi said.
The opposition leader revealed that according to Electoral Commission documents, the 18 polling stations inside a single barracks reportedly serve a total of 12,455 registered voters.
He described the figure as “strange” and raised concerns about transparency and voter accessibility.
Ssenyonyi has formally written to the Electoral Commission, urging them to address the issue and ensure compliance with electoral regulations.
“I have written to the Electoral Commission asking them to remedy this because it is not acceptable,” he said.
The MP’s statement comes amid broader scrutiny of election preparations, with opposition leaders calling for strict adherence to legal frameworks to safeguard voter rights and prevent irregularities.