We will find cash for Parliamentary by-elections - EC boss

PIC: The EC deputy chairperson, Joseph Biribonwa

The Electoral Commission (EC) has spoken out on the huge number of Parliamentary election petitions, promising to find the necessary funds to organise all the by-elections.

EC deputy chairperson, Joseph Biribonwa told the New Vision that the court ruling requiring them to organise by-elections are an order that must be respected by all the stakeholders including Ministry of Finance whose mandate is to provide the necessary funds.

Biribonwa's comments follow the ejection of over 20 MPs from Parliament over election malpractices.

The MPs lost their seats on several grounds including bribery, inflation of results on the declaration forms, voter intimidation and inadequate academic papers.

The latest victims are Cissy Namujju the woman MP for Lwengo and Boaz Kasirabo the MP for Kooki County. The two were thrown out of Parliament on Friday over lack of minimum academic qualifications to be in Parliament.

The law requires a minimum of an Advanced(A) level certificate for someone to contest for a Parliamentary seat.

The wave has neither spared ministers, like Sarah Opendi the woman MP for Tororo district and State Minister for Primary Health Care who lost her seat on Thursday.

For most of the MPs who have been thrown out of Parliament, courts have ordered for by-election. But the costs of organizing by-elections are itching Ugandans.

Cissy Kagaba, the executive director of Anti-Corruption Coalition, Uganda said that spending the tax-payer's cash on organizing by-elections will compromise service delivery in other sectors.