Local council elections postponed

By J. Semakula, J. Masaba and Brian Mayanja

The LCI elections, which were set for this month, have been put on hold after the Government failed to raise sh51b for the exercise.

Electoral Commission (EC) boss Eng. Badru Kiggundu told NewVision online that the Government had released sh19b for the exercise and it was left with a balance of sh51b.

In July, local government Minister Adolf Mwesige, said the LCI elections would be conducted this month when the proposed reforms in the Local Governments (Amendment) Bill, 2012 are approved.

However, the state minister for Local Government, Androa Alex Onzima, says the LC elections are not being delayed by the Government’s failure to get the money, but by Parliament’s failure to pass the Local Government Bill 2012.

“The Bill is necessary because it will help to reduce the amount of money the EC requires to run the LC elections,” he said.

“When the Bill is passed, the EC will need only sh50b instead of sh70b that had earlier been requisitioned for,” Onzima added.

The Bill also provides for transmission of an electronic copy of the voters’ register to the 38 registered political parties and organisations for verification.

Kiggundu said if transmitted in hard copy, as provided for in the existing law, the voters’ register would cost the tax payer a lot of money. The Bill further provides for appointment of tribunals for village and parish elections and publishing of all polling stations in the gazette.

Mwesige noted that this would save sh75b required to pay village tribunals which, under the existing law, comprise of every member of a village, who is expected to be paid sh5, 000 at every sitting.

The minister said if Parliament had passed the Bill, the Government would have required only sh30b which is already with the finance ministry, adding that the EC has already been given sh20b.

Asked when the polls would take place if the Parliament passed the law today, the minister was noncommittal.

The failure to organise the polls comes at the time when there is a high crime rate in communities, which has been blamed on the absence of active village councils.

The term of the current LCIs expired in 2006, but due to lack of funds, the Government failed to organise fresh elections. Many LCI committees across the country have been operating with few staff due to deaths, resignations and movements among members from one village to the other.

The news that the LCI elections will not be held this year came as a big blow to some aspirants, who had already started combing their area for votes.

But for Mustafah Kakooza, the chairman of Kireka zone C in Wakiso, the news of the uncertainty of the LCI elections came with a relief. He said his opponents had already started door-to-door campaigns.

“I have been under a lot of pressure, but I can now rest. If what you are saying is the true, it is good news,” Kakooza explained.

Meanwhile, the LC chairman for Butebe village in Mukono Municipality, Richard Aliwaali said the delay to organise the LC elections was affecting service delivery.

“I find it hard to convince some residents, especially the elite that I am still legally their chairman. Many times they bypass me and take some matters that I can handle to the Police,”said Aliwaali.

But Samuel Mpimbaza, the resident city commissioner for Kampala, said they have created parallel village security committees in the five divisions of the city until the village councils are in place. He also said the security committees will work with the existing LCI committees.