Opposition MPs give Government 30-day ultimatum to organise LC elections

This comes after the LCI and II chairpersons' terms of office expired on July 10th.

Earlier, the Electoral Commission said it was unable to organise the elections this month because of a lack of funds.

The Commission said it had asked for sh90 billion for the elections. Of this, only sh36 billion was provided by the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.

In a press conference on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Parliament, the shadow cabinet, led by Ethel Naluyima, a Wakiso District woman Member of Parliament (MP) and shadow minister for local government, said that because village and parish chairpersons play such an important role in society, their positions cannot be vacant for very long.

She added that the vacuum will have an impact on security and paralyse numerous economic activities, particularly in real estate, where land transfers call for an LC1 stamp.

The Luweero Woman MP, Brenda Nabukenya, and the shadow minister for education called on Ugandans to organise protests against Government's failure to give the Electoral Commission the money it needs to hold local council elections.

Uganda has not held local council elections for a long time.

The push by the opposition shadow cabinet to have these elections held is looked at by some experts as one of the ways they hope to penetrate rural areas where their reach is insufficient.

The majority of rural areas in Uganda have long had local council chairpersons who are NRM-leaning.