The Electoral Commission is set to hold last batch of elections for Local Council One (LC I) Chairpersons tomorrow Saturday, August 1, in 1,135 villages where voting was disrupted Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama has announced.
According to the commission the affected villages account for 1.6 percent of the 71,214 villages where LC I chairperson elections were scheduled.
Byabakama says polling was successfully conducted in 70,079 villages, representing a 98.4 percent completion rate.
On Wednesday while addressing the media in Kampala Justice Simon Byabakama said the elections were generally peaceful, orderly and transparent, attracting a large voter turnout across most parts of the country.
He however said voting was completed in 1,135 villages due to violence, destruction or theft of village voters’ registers, disputes over the registers, tied election results, interference by individuals and the death of nominated candidates.
Byabakama said that in villages where voters’ registers were destroyed, fresh registration of residents will be conducted on Thursday, July 30, followed by compilation of the registers on Friday, July 31, before polling on Saturday, August 1. For villages where voting was suspended because of violence or other disruptions but the registers remain intact, polling will also take place on August 1.
Byabakama added that where a nominated candidate died before polling, fresh nominations will be conducted on July 30, campaigns will take place on July 31 and voting will be held on August 1. He clarified that candidates who had already been validly nominated will not be required to seek fresh nominations.
He further said that where residents petitioned the Commission fresh polls will be conducted and assured the public that all complaints will be investigated before any further action is taken.
In June Ministry of Finance released 56 billion shillings to the Electoral Commission to fund the long-delayed local council elections, officials said.
Patrick Ocailap, the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, confirmed the funds were transferred on Friday, June 12 and Richard Kamugisha, the Secretary of the Electoral Commission, agency confirmed receipt of the funds.
The grass-roots elections for LC1, LC2 and village women councils had faced multiple postponements since the terms of the current leaders expired in 2023 and Parliament had extended their tenures six times, for six months each, sparking governance concerns across the country.
