KAMPALA: The Electoral Commission (EC) is set to commence verification exercise of all administrative units across the country as it prepares for Local Council 1 and 2, and women councils’ elections.
The EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama indicated that the verification exercise will be conducted from March 17 to 26, 2022.
“The Commission will conduct the verification/confirmation of administrative units in a participatory manner, and particularly in consultation with the respective District/City administrative leadership,” Justice Byabakama stated, noting that the verification exercise is part of preparatory activities for the conduct of women councils and committees’ elections (from the village to the national level) 2022, and administrative units (LC 1 and LC 2) Elections in August 2023.
The current women councils and committees were elected during the period July – August 2018, and the Executive Committee of the National Women’s Council was constituted on 23rd – 24 August 2018.
Citing the National Women’s Council Act, Byabakama stated that the terms of office of the said Councils and Committees is four (4) years, implying their term will expire in August 2022.
The current Village/Cell (LC 1) and Parish/Ward (LC 2) Committees were elected in July 2018.
According to the Local Government Act, the term of office of the said Executive Committees is five (5) years, implying their term will expire in July 2023.
The above elections were conducted in a total number of 60,800 villages/cells and 8,387 parishes, but EC says the number of Administrative Units in Uganda has increased and the current statistics as per the Electoral Commission database 2022.
Districts/Cities are 146,
Sub Counties/Towns/Municipal Divisions are 2,211, Wards in the cities are 431 and Parishes/Wards in the districts are 10,259.
The EC statistics also show that Villages/cells have since reached 70,512.
Justice Byabakama also indicated said that during the conduct of those elections, the Commission observed challenges related to disputes over the legal establishment of some of the villages.
There were also disputes over the boundaries of some of the villages/cells, disputes over the placement of some villages/cells within particular sub counties, a development he says that warrants a national week-long verification exercise of all administrative units.
He said the verification exercise will confirm that the existing administrative units have been legally created by statutory instrument as well as confirm that these units are correctly located within their respectful and rightful sub-county/town council/municipal division and parish/ward.
