According to Byabakama, the total cost of the elections is 90.67 Billion Shillings but only 36.15 billion has been provided in the Budget Framework Paper, leaving a shortfall of 54.52 billion.
According to Byabakama, the total cost of these elections is 90.67 billion but only 36.15 billion has been provided in the Budget Framework Paper, leaving a shortfall of 54.52 billion.
The
Electoral Commission- EC is seeking a budgetary provision of 54.5 billion
shillings to conduct elections for Local Council I and II and Women Councils
and Committees across the country.
Simon Byabakama, the EC Chairperson tabled the request on Wednesday before the
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee while presenting the electoral body’s
budget estimates for the next financial year 2022/2023.
According to Byabakama, the total cost of the elections is 90.67 Billion
Shillings but only 36.15 billion has been provided in the Budget Framework
Paper, leaving a shortfall of 54.52 billion.
He said that they plan to conduct the Local Council I and II elections before
August 2023 and one of the activities to be conducted include the compilation
of village voters’ register, ascertaining the number of villages in the country,
and others.
Byabakama added that in order for the commission to conduct the polls, there
should be planning early. He said that the elections must be conducted by July
2023 latest.
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Section 170 of the Local Governments Act provides that the Chairpersons Local
Councils and Administrative Councils shall be elected every five years.
The current local council leaders were elected in August 2018 and their term
of office expires in August 2023. Before 2018, Uganda had taken a period of 16
years without electing Local Council leaders.
Byabakama said that it is important to hold the elections before the expiry of
the current term so that the remaining period is used for a smooth handover to
the newly elected leaders. He appealed to the committee for a sufficient
budgetary provision for the elections in the coming financial year.
He added that the elections will be held by lining up method unless parliament
amends the laws.
Ibrahim
Semujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality MP asked the Commission to present the
exact dates they plan to hold the elections.
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Santa Alum,
the Oyam Woman MP asked the Electoral Commission to clearly state how much
money was to be spent on Local Council elections and Women Councils.
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Byabakama said that failure to hold the elections would create a vacuum and the
current leadership will be in office illegally. He also promised to furnish the
committee with the actual dates of the scheduled election.
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Meanwhile, Electoral Commission also appealed for a budget provision of 45
billion shillings to transfer to political parties.
“In line with Section 14A of the Political Parties and Organizations Act, 2005,
Government has been providing 10 billion every year towards the operations of
Political Parties and Organizations with representation in Parliament. At the
end of December 2021, Parliament approved a supplementary budget of 35 billion
bringing the total to 45 billion,” said EC Secretary, Leonard Mulekwa.
However, Mulekwa told MPs that this money is not provided in the budget for
the financial year 2022/2023.
Asuman Basalirwa, the Bugiri Municipality MP asked EC whether the money would
be distributed equally to the political parties given that the funds have
previously been distributed depending on the numerical strength of parties in
parliament.
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Byakabama said that EC is not going to discriminate against any political
party.
The Electoral Commission also seeks another 7.25 billion to operationalize
offices in ten new cities and Terego district. The cities include Jinja,
Mbarara, Gulu, Arua, Masaka, Fort Portal, Mbale, Soroti, Hoima and Lira.
EC says that the cities are at the level of a district for purposes of
elections and Section 20 (1) of the Electoral Commission Act requires that
there shall be as many electoral districts as there are administrative
districts. Byabakama said that the cost of establishing an office is 659.6
million Shillings, translating into 7.25 billion for the 11 electoral
districts.
