Govt Breaks Silence On Fate Of Village Chairpersons Amid Delayed Elections

The Minister for Local Government, Hon Raphael Magyezi has assured Parliament and the entire country that the government is doing all it takes to conduct the Local Council and women council elections.

This comes on the third day of a power vacuum at critical village and parish level with no chairpersons and committees whose term ended on Monday, July 10.

Hon Magyezi while appearing before parliament on Wednesday revealed that his office was in close consultations with the Attorney General, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Gender, and the Electoral Commission to ensure the elections are scheduled and conducted.

Magyezi also promised to have a comprehensive report on the matter tabled before Parliament by Thursday next week.

Relatedly, the Ministry of Finance has called down on frantic appeals from various circles for the government to find funding for Local Council (LC) elections urgently.

This is after several calls for a Shs59 billion supplementary fund for the Electoral Commission (EC) to successfully conduct the LC elections.

However, the ministry spokesperson Jim Mugunga says according to established guidelines, a supplementary budget is intended for unforeseen expenditures and that elections do not qualify under this category.

In 2016, Parliament passed the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2014 providing for lining up behind candidates during the elections.

The voting method was seen as a departure from what is provided for in the Local Government Act of universal adult suffrage through secret ballot with the aim of the method being to lower the cost of conducting the elections.