Nambooze wants political parties out of LCI elections

Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Namboze (left) and Makindye East MP Allan Sewanyana (centre) consult with Democratic Party Acting Secretary General Gerald Siranda (right) before submitting proposals for the Local Governments Amendment Bill at Parliament on December 30, 2016. Photo by Kennedy Oryema

The Mukono municipality MP Betty Nambooze and many other senior citizens who turned up at parliament on Friday to give their views on the Local Government Amendment Bill 2016 have proposed that the elections should be held on individual merit without party colours.

The committee is gathering public views on the Local Government Amendment Bill 2016 which is aimed at facilitating the holding of elections for LCII and LCI in a more cost effective way.

Citing the example of Ghana where multiparty politics stops at the LCV level, Nambooze said it is illogical to have LCI leaders elected on partisan lines yet they will be presiding over LCI courts and approve people to be recruited in UPDF.

"In such circumstances, political party flag bearers are too partisan to lead a village. Either we shall have to withdraw some of the powers of LCI councils or we shall have to adopt the Ghana model," Nambooze explained.

Citing the example of India, Yasin Omar, Joseph Mubiru, an elderly citizen from Mpigi, supported the proposal to have the elections held on individual merit rather than party lines.

"If we are going to use LCI chairmen to maintain law and order and solve conflicts in communities, then we should not have them voted along party lines. Since they will act as adjudicators, they had better put aside political colours," Mubiru argued.

The various people who turned up also overwhelmingly rejected the idea of lining up during the elections.

The DP Acting Secretary General Dr. Gerald Siranda said, "Lining up takes away the confidentiality of the secret ballot. We can maintain the secret ballot using cheap methods like using symbols instead of using photos of candidates."

The Democratic Party leaders also opposed the proposal of reducing days for displaying the voters' register from 21 days to only two days and conducting nominations, campaigns and elections within one day.

"Displaying the register should at least be for seven days. It is not logical to have nominations, campaigns and elections. It means people would have to forego everything on that day," Siranda explained.