Pass supplementary budget for LC elections, DP tells Government

This is after the terms of the LC I and II chairpersons, who were chosen on July 10, 2018, have ended.

The electoral authority estimates that in order to hold LCI, LCII, and women's council elections, it will require sh59 billion.

The party secretary-general, Gerald Siranda, told journalists in Kampala that the chairperson's positions at the parish and village levels cannot be vacant for a long time due to their crucial role in the community.

In the meantime, Siranda suggested that if managing the polls separately is difficult, they should be held concurrently with general elections, which he claims can reduce the associated costs.

The opposition shadow cabinet recently gave the government a 30-day ultimatum to hold elections for the local councils (LCI and LCII) across the country.

This came 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.