A Ugandan woman who says she served as an election official during last Thursday’s polls has alleged that vote rigging took place at a tallying centre before results were announced on Saturday.
In a detailed account shared publicly, Zu Laikah claimed there was a parallel tallying process that differed from figures eventually released by the electoral authorities.
She said the operation was conducted discreetly within the main tallying venue.
According to Zu Laikah, a smaller tent had been set up behind the main tally centre, close to the toilets, where what she described as the “correct results” were being compiled.
She alleged that results from polling stations were read out through phone calls, transmitted, and uploaded using satellite internet connections that bypassed the nationwide internet shutdown.
She further claimed that after results were uploaded, a password was read out, a process she said she did not fully understand but believed was linked to the satellite system, which would sometimes disconnect after a short period.
Zu Laikah alleged that tallies from several regions, including Buganda and Busoga, overwhelmingly favoured the opposition, with similar trends emerging in parts of the Lukiga sub-region.
She claimed these results were rejected, quoting one official as saying they “could not be recorded.”
She also alleged that each presidential candidate had a representative at the tallying centre and was provided with a laptop containing detailed results.
However, she said when she compared figures on declaration forms belonging to one candidate with those on the system, they did not match.
As an example, she cited a polling area in Nakaseke, where she claimed opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi received 189 votes, President Yoweri Museveni got 84, and other candidates received minimal votes. She alleged the official record later showed Museveni’s votes inflated to 184.
Zu Laikah claimed this method involved adding a digit in front of existing figures, while carefully keeping totals within registered voter numbers and turnout levels.