The Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, has announced the government’s commitment to conducting local council and women elections, acknowledging a delay attributed to a shortfall of UGX 59 billion required for the anticipated electoral exercise.
Addressing the press at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Wednesday, January 3, Magyezi emphasized the challenges posed by the current lack of adequate resources for the administrative unit elections. He highlighted the crucial role of local councils in maintaining security, law and order, citizen registration, dispute resolution, service delivery, community mobilization, and communication between local communities and the government.
Magyezi stated that the government is actively seeking UGX 59 billion to fund the elections, and in the meantime, the term of office for administrative unit councils (local council I and local council II) would be extended for a period not exceeding 180 days from January 6, 2024, onwards. This extension, regulated by regulation 11a of the Local Government Councils Regulations, marks an effort to address the financial constraints hindering the timely conduct of the elections.
The extension of the term of office, while not a novel occurrence, becomes essential as the country prepares for the next general elections in 2025-2026. Magyezi assured the public of the government’s commitment to holding the local council elections as soon as practicable and promised to provide a program and roadmap for the elections in due course.
Additionally, Magyezi cited the Parish Development Committees (PDM), Emyooga, and other wealth and job creation program funds as factors necessitating the extension of the mandate of parish chairpersons. The role of local councils, especially at the parish and village levels, was underscored in connection with vetting applicants, monitoring resource utilization, and reporting. The extension, approved by the Cabinet on December 18, 2023, aims to ensure the continuity of development efforts and programs in the context of ongoing initiatives such as the disbursement of the second batch of the PDM.
The official notice of this extension was gazetted under General Notice No. 2189 of 2023 and published in mainstream media on January 2, 2024.
