Concerns have been raised over possible inconsistencies in voter turnout figures from Kampala following the release of data at the National Tally Centre.

Results published by the Electoral Commission show that about 430,000 votes were cast for President Yoweri Museveni in the city out of an estimated 1.6 million eligible voters, based on tallies from just over 2,300 of the 2,705 polling stations. In contrast, turnout for the Kampala Woman Member of Parliament race was placed at about 540,000 votes, leaving a gap of roughly 94,000 ballots.

Both contests were held on the same day, with voters issued three ballot papers — for the president, the Woman MP and the directly elected MP. The figures suggest that nearly 94,000 voters may have participated in the presidential race but did not vote in the Woman MP contest.

Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said he was unable to immediately confirm the accuracy of the figures. “I don’t know whether what you are saying is factual or fabrication,” he told reporters.

After being shown screenshots of the data, Mucunguzi explained that voters are not obliged to vote in every category. “Some people can decide to vote for president only. It is possible for a voter to tick one candidate for one position and go. It is not a must that the voter must tick all the ballots,” he said, adding that an audit would be required to verify the numbers. He stressed that he could not confirm the claims based on screenshots alone.

Human rights defender Dr Livingston Ssewanyana said the difference in turnout warrants urgent clarification. “The voters were given three ballots. It is less likely that a person would vote for the president and not vote for the Woman MP. That points to the possibility of ballot stuffing or irregularities,” he said.

Mucunguzi later acknowledged that an audit would be necessary to explain the disparity, noting that both the presidential and Woman MP elections are voted on by all eligible voters in a district.

The discrepancy has fuelled wider questions about the credibility of election data and the integrity of the voting process in Kampala, with observers calling on the Electoral Commission to provide a detailed explanation to reassure the public.