UPC releases election roadmap

POLITICS   ELECTIONS

KAMPALA - Uganda People's Congress (UPC) Wednesday released their roadmap for the 2021 scientific general elections.

The release of the roadmap follows the Electoral Commission revised election schedule for 2021.

According to the party's secretary-general, Fred Ebil, the roadmap entails the nomination of the party's presidential flag bearer, parliamentary aspirants, LC5s and LC3s primaries which starts on June 29 up to October 13.

Ebil told journalists that those who wish to contest as the party's presidential flag bearer should pick forms between June 29 and July 3, while the campaigns will take place between July 4 and July 15.

He said the district conferences for nominating the party presidential candidate is scheduled between July 16 and July 26 and declaration of results will be on July 28. 

Ebil told reporters that the picking and returning of party nomination forms all aspirants at their district respective levels will be held between July 29 and August 22.

He informed journalists that the nomination of persons with disabilities and the youth will take place on August 5.

As for the nominations for LC3 and LC5 councillors will be from August 7 to August 8 while for the LC5s will take place on August 21 and August 22.

Regarding the parliamentary primaries, the timetable is scheduled for Sept 26 while the nomination for parliamentary candidates will take place on October 12 and October 13.

According to Electoral Commission revised roadmap the nominations of presidential candidates will take place on November 2 and November 3.

"Those interested in the positions of presidential flag bearer, Member of Parliament, LC5 chairpersons, LC5 councillors and city mayor are advised to pick forms from the Party headquarters while those for municipality mayor, Division mayor, LC3 chairpersons and LC3 councillor are advised to pick forms from their respective district chairpersons at district offices," Ebil told reporters during a hastily press briefing at the party headquarters in Kampala yesterday.

He told journalists that the aspirants should be ready to pay nomination fees as per the Electoral Commission guidelines.

For presidential aspirants, they are supposed to pay nomination fees of sh20m while parliamentary contestants are to pay sh1m.

As for the LC5 and city mayor aspirants, they will pay sh500,000.

Why police had blocked the press conference

Earlier the UPC officials were blocked by the Police from addressing journalists at their party headquarters on grounds that they didn't have personal protective equipment and could not observe social distancing for the invited journalists.

According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, the UPC officials had organised a meeting for only 50 persons but they realized that they were more than that and therefore, standard operation procedures could not be adhered to.

"UPC alleged they had organised a meeting for 50 people in a small room, but we discovered that they were more guests. The meeting was going to be a breeding ground for COVID-19," Onyango told New Vision.

However, the UPC spokesman Micheal Osinde blasted the Police of sabotaging their meeting and yet they were law-abiding citizens.

"For us, as UPC we believe in dialogue but the Police sabotaged our meeting and I am shocked," Osinde told reporters outside the party headquarters where he and Ebil addressed the scribes after being denied access to the room organised for the press conference.