Photo Registration System To Cost Sh32b

THE Photo Voter Registration and Identification System cost that was initially at sh11b (US$7m) has gone up to sh32b, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Gerald Ssendaula, said yesterday.Joyce Namutebi reports that Ssendaula was appearing before the parliamentary probe committee on election violence.He had been summoned to explain allegations by the Electoral Commission that it (EC) was not able to perform as expected because of inadequate funds and that the money got to them late.“Initially I understand that thing was to cost US$7m (sh11b). We have so far spent sh23b. We are told we are yet to spend another sh9b,” Ssendaula said in reply to Avitus Tibarimbasa, who wanted to know how much had been spent on the registration project so far.Asked whether there was anybody to blame for the extra cost, Ssendaula said, “The Electoral Commission shares the blame with the Ministry in charge of the Electoral Commission”.He said the project lacked a professional study. “Nobody could give you the total budget to complete the exercise.“It interrupted us in the first budget. We didn’t get any indication that it was going to spill over to another budget,” he said.The lead counsel, Mulindwa Birimumaaso, also wanted Ssendaula to comment on a proposal to save money for the 2006 elections now.Ssendaula said, “The Constitution is clear. you appropriate on an annual basis.” He said Parliament could enact laws for appropriating for more than one year but resources were very minimal. “You can’t appropriate for more than one year,” he said.Quoting Article 155(2) and (3) of the Constitution, he said it was the duty of the commission, which is a self accounting body, to provide its budget to the President to comment on it.Ends