Electoral Commission lacks funds for LC elections
Jul 22, 2010
ELECTIONS for LC1, LC2, women and youth councils are in balance due to lack of funds, Parliament heard yesterday.<br>
By Joyce Namutebi
ELECTIONS for LC1, LC2, women and youth councils are in balance due to lack of funds, Parliament heard yesterday.
Electoral Commission (EC) secretary Sam Rwakoojo said the commission will not be able to conduct the elections due to a sh53b shortfall in this financial year’s budget.
“Elections for the youth, women and lower councils were not funded,†Rwakoojo told the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.
He was part of the EC team, led by the chairman, Badru Kiggundu, that met the committee to defend the commission’s budget.
The Ministry of Finance has provided over sh102.7b for general elections this financial year, according to documents read to the committee by Rwakoojo.
He, however, said the money was inadequate given the emerging issues.
“The creation of 32 new districts and administrative units shall have heavy cost implications on the operations of the commission, which are not catered for in the medium-term expenditure framework ceilings for 2010/2011,†he said.
Kiggundu revealed that the 4.2 million voters who were registered during the national voter update exercise would be the first to get national identity cards issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The 4.2 new registered voters, if added onto the 10.5 million original voters, adds up to 15 million.
Reacting to the commission’s responses, some MPs disputed the figure of the 15 million registered voters.
“We have 60% youth. How can we have 15 million people on the register?†Odonga Otto (FDC) asked.
This financial year, the commission requested for over sh177.4b for recurrent expenditure but sh119b has been allocated. Only sh396m has been allocated to capital developments out of the required sh38.8b.
The unfunded priority programmes amount to over sh55.7b.
ELECTIONS for LC1, LC2, women and youth councils are in balance due to lack of funds, Parliament heard yesterday.
Electoral Commission (EC) secretary Sam Rwakoojo said the commission will not be able to conduct the elections due to a sh53b shortfall in this financial year’s budget.
“Elections for the youth, women and lower councils were not funded,†Rwakoojo told the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.
He was part of the EC team, led by the chairman, Badru Kiggundu, that met the committee to defend the commission’s budget.
The Ministry of Finance has provided over sh102.7b for general elections this financial year, according to documents read to the committee by Rwakoojo.
He, however, said the money was inadequate given the emerging issues.
“The creation of 32 new districts and administrative units shall have heavy cost implications on the operations of the commission, which are not catered for in the medium-term expenditure framework ceilings for 2010/2011,†he said.
Kiggundu revealed that the 4.2 million voters who were registered during the national voter update exercise would be the first to get national identity cards issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The 4.2 new registered voters, if added onto the 10.5 million original voters, adds up to 15 million.
Reacting to the commission’s responses, some MPs disputed the figure of the 15 million registered voters.
“We have 60% youth. How can we have 15 million people on the register?†Odonga Otto (FDC) asked.
This financial year, the commission requested for over sh177.4b for recurrent expenditure but sh119b has been allocated. Only sh396m has been allocated to capital developments out of the required sh38.8b.
The unfunded priority programmes amount to over sh55.7b.