The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 400 prison officers are undergoing training by the Electoral Commission -EC to pack ballot papers.
The officers from the Uganda Prisons are undergoing training in ballot paper safety, packaging as well as distribution to polling centers.
The EC says that the prison officers are concurrently training with the EC staff at the EC office headquarters warehouse in Kampala, to have them fully prepared to understand the election process, guarding and protection of the ballot papers and their distribution to polling centers.
Since there are different divisions to cater for, Paul Bukenya, the public relations officer says that there 400-600 disciplined officers that will be needed to handle packing of ballots not only the presidential, but also local government, municipality city divisions, and sub counties which all require being attended to at full capacity.
Bukenya says that the prisons trainees for ballot packing and distribution are temporary and that there is an allowance arranged to cater for them and the work that they do throughout the election period, they are entered into the system and payment is done to their phones by e-payment.
Meanwhile, Frank Baine, the prisons spokesperson points out that there are junior and senior officers that will be handling different constituencies in various districts and that they are undergoing training ballots-related at the moment.
“Gervase Tumuhimbise, a Commissioner of Prisons is the overall supervisor and commander of the exercise,” he said.
The prisons staff have been organizing and packaging ballot papers for the last two elections in 2011 and 2016.
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