The Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, will make a statement in the August house on Thursday next week regarding Local Council elections.
During the Plenary on Wednesday, the Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Anita Among guided that the government gives a pronouncement on the postponement of the elections due to financial constraints.
The Electoral Commission requires over Shs80 billion required to conduct Women Council elections, whose term expired in 2022 and the Local Council elections on 10, July 2023.
This money is part of the Shs542 billion that the EC tabled before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, to cater for activities that are either underfunded or not funded, as per the approved budget estimates of the 2023/2024 financial year.
Magyezi told lawmakers on Wednesday that his ministry is currently in consultations with the Electoral Commission, Attorney General, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Gender to establish if funds are available for elections.
“We are looking at this together and we shall give a comprehensive statement that covers both the LCs and Women Councils,” the Minister told parliament.
The debate among lawmakers was centered around the legality of having people in expired positions carrying out daily routines. They said people are failing to conduct transactions that require the office of the LCI for fear of doing it illegally.
The Amuria Woman MP, Susan Amero proposed that the government utilizes the 3 percent contingency funding in the budget to organize the elections.
The last LCI elections were conducted in 2018.
Under the Third Schedule of the Local Government Act, the minister can extend the tenure of local leaders for a period not exceeding six months if the country is in a state of war or if a state of emergency has been declared under the Constitution.
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