Election Day starts with slow turn-out in Ukonga Constituency

Dar es Salaam. From the time polling stations opened, around 7am till mid-day, voters kept trickling in to cast their ballots in most parts of Ukonga Constituency in the city on Election Day across Tanzania.
A survey by The Citizen at different polling stations in the constituency noted short lines of voters, with a voter spending no more than 30 minutes from the time they reached the station to the time they left.
"I'm really surprised, I expected long lines early in the day. The youth are not out in big numbers compared to elderly people. Let’s wait and see, probably things will change as the day advances,” Mr Juma Mbusi, a resident of Ukonga Gongolamboto told The Citizen.
"Some people still lack civic education, but again it is surprising, as things were different back during the 2015 General Election,” he said.
Things were not different at Guluka Kwalala polling station. Voting was running on smoothly and voters needed only a few minutes to get done with it.
"There are those who have been disappointed by how previous elections were run. This could have poisoned today’s turn-out, but we still have time, let’s hope for the better,” one Josiah Mmbaruku opined.
Things were a bit different at the Mzambarauni Polling Station, where many more voters could be seen around lining up. A polling official told The Citizen that they were busy attending to voters from the time they opened the station.
"Well, we would hope for a higher number so far, but we’re quite busy as you can see,” said the poll official who asked not to be named because she is not authorized to speak.
Mr Nasor Abdi, 27, who had just cast his vote, urged the youth to come out and use their constitutional right to elect the leaders they want in the next five years.
"There is this mindset about possible rigging of elections. We need to do away with it. Come out and vote. It is our votes that will decide who becomes our next leaders for the next five years,” he noted.
For his part, Mr Webiro Wasira, the ACT-Wazalendo parliamentary candidate for Ukonga Constituency expressed concerns to the turn out, but generally appreciated how the exercise was going on.
"In all polling stations that I have visited, people were a bit hesitant to come out, but I hope they will turnout as the day advances. Even though we faced some challenges of our agents being denied access to polling stations, we're happy they were later accepted. We expect that all will be done in an orderly manner and transparently,” he told The Citizen in an interview.
In this constituency, three candidates—Ms Asia Msangi (Chadema), Mr Jerry Slaa (CCM) and Webiro Wasira (ACT-Wazalendo)—are all hopeful of occupying a slot in the next Parliament.