Uganda Deputy Prime Minister Kadaga Orders Arrests Over Kenyan Voter Registration

First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga, who also serves as Minister for East African Community Affairs, announced a directive to arrest Ugandan citizens who cross into Kenya to participate in the country's voter registration exercise ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Kadaga instructed security agencies and local leaders in eight border districts to monitor and prevent such crossings, naming the districts as Obuko, Moroto, Amodat, Namisindwa, Wijiri, Busia, Namengo and Tororo in one report, and Bukwa, Moroto, Amudat, Namisindwa, Busia, Tororo, Namayingo and Buikwe in another.

She said Uganda respects Kenya’s sovereignty and expects Kenya to reciprocate that respect, adding that it is improper for any state to involve itself in the electoral affairs of another sovereign nation.

Kadaga also rejected suggestions that individuals could hold dual Ugandan-Kenyan citizenship, stating that under the East African Community framework a person must relinquish one nationality before acquiring another.

The directive follows unverified media reports and accusations by political leaders in western Kenya that the Kenyan government is facilitating the importation of Ugandan voters to influence the upcoming election.

A KTN News exposé in late September alleged that Ugandan nationals were obtaining Kenyan identification documents and registering as voters in the Suam border area; the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission have denied those allegations.

No comment from Kenyan officials was available in the material reviewed.