KYEGEGWA: A group of over 70 polling officials in Kyegegwa District has raised alarm over delayed payment of allowances for work conducted during the January 2026 elections, accusing election authorities of neglect and possible mismanagement of funds.
The affected personnel, including Presiding Officers, Polling Assistants, and Police Constables, formally petitioned district authorities seeking intervention after months of waiting for their payments.
Speaking to the press, one of the affected officials expressed frustration over the delay.
“We sacrificed our time, we could even work at night and sacrificed our own money. We feel so disappointed by our bosses for not being paid up to now,” the official said.
Margret, 45, said she had counted on the payment to support her family’s needs.
“I waited for that money with the hope of paying school fees for my children, but the Returning Officer has let me down,” she said.
Another polling assistant, identified as Susan, narrated the hardships she endured while participating in the electoral exercise.
According to Susan, she had recently given birth but still reported for election duties, leaving her baby at home.
“I left my baby on milk and used my own money to participate in the electoral activities. I feel disappointed by the Electoral Commission,” she said.
The officials further alleged that concerns over the handling of election funds began during the training phase. They claim that while election workers in some districts reportedly received facilitation allowances of up to Shs50,000 during training sessions, their counterparts in Kyegegwa received only Shs10,000.
Moses, an Electoral Commission official who spoke to the media, alleged that signs of fund mismanagement emerged long before polling day.
“Funds mismanagement started way back during training. In some districts officials received Shs50,000, but here in Kyegegwa we were getting only Shs10,000,” he claimed.
The officials are now calling upon the Electoral Commission, district leaders, and other concerned authorities to urgently address their grievances and ensure that all outstanding payments are made.
They argue that it is unfair for the country to have already embarked on a new political term while election workers are still pursuing payment for services rendered months ago.
“It is disheartening that the President has started a new term of office in May, yet we are still demanding payment for electoral work we completed in January,” one official said.
By press time, repeated calls made to the Kyegegwa District Returning Officer for a comment had gone unanswered.