The Electoral Commission (E.C) will begin registering village residents ahead of the Local Council (One and Two) and Women Council elections slated for next month. The four day verification exercise that starts Thursday October 26 is to help compile a register for those eligible to vote in the November 21 election.
According to Electoral Commission Chairman Justice Simon Byabakama, this exercise will cater for the compilation of two Registers; that for the LC elections and that for women council elections.
Those that intend to participate in the elections will be required to turn up in person at the gazetted registration centres.
Eligibility will be based on whether one is; a citizen of Uganda, resident of that village, and in the case of Women Council elections, one must be a female.
The Electoral Commission says that persons will have to provide details of their names, national Identity Card, age and their village of residence.
Once the register has been compiled, E.C will then display it for public use between October 31 to November 1 in all the 59,624 villages across Uganda.
“During the display, voters are urged to turn up in large numbers and check the correctness of their particulars such as National I.D number, Application I.D, age, gender and village,” Byabakama told the press at the E.C headquarters on Wednesday.
The purpose of displaying the register is to further enable residents to report names that should be removed such as the dead, those below voting age and non-village residents.
Nomination of candidates for the L.C 1 Chairperson will be held on November 15 and 16 and the nominees will then conduct their campaigns between November 17 and 20.
Byabakama stressed the need for citizens to engage in electing their leaders since there has not been a lawful LC system in the last 16 years.
“We are counting on the good will of the electorate to peacefully vote their leaders. Ugandans must own this process and resist anyone trying to disrupt the peace, otherwise they won’t have duly elected leaders,” the Electoral Commission boss said.
Commissioner Stephen Tashobya reechoed the appeal noting that the forthcoming elections have an administrative, judicial and security bearing on the different villages.
“These councils have administrative responsibilities. But also, they serve as courts for locals and are in charge of security. Failing to choose them will bring about challenges in future,” Tashobya said.
Byabakama gave assurance that the Commission is set to deliver the elections and that the money required was released by government. The entire election exercise requires Shs 12 billion for LC elections and Shs 3 billion for Women Council elections.