The Electoral Commission (EC) has set July 7 as the polling day for the Village Women Council elections.
According to the EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, candidates’ campaigns for the elections of the Village Women Committee will be conducted from July 4-6, 2022.
“The Commission has appointed Thursday 7th July 2022 as polling day for election of the five (5) members of Village Women Committee,” Byabakama said on Wednesday.
He revealed that the election of members of the Village Women Committee shall be by the electorate lining up behind the nominated candidates, their representatives, portraits or symbols.
He noted that voting shall take place in a public/open place within the village, starting at 9:00am.
According to Byabakama, the Electoral Commission will compile a register of willing female residents in each village throughout Uganda from June 10- 13, 2022.
“The purpose of this registration exercise is to enable all willing female residents aged 18 years and above to register in order to participate in the elections within their respective villages.”
The registration will be conducted from 7:00am until 6:00pm on each of the appointed dates including weekends.
“The display of the Register will be from June 23-24, in all the villages across the country.
This shall begin at 8:00am and end at 6:00pm at the designated public/open place in the respective village,” he said.
“During the display, the voters are urged to turn up in large numbers and check for the correctness of their particulars such as; names, National ID Number or Application ID Number, age, gender and village of residence.”
The nomination of Candidates for the Women Councils Elections at the Village Level will take place from June 27 to July 1, 2022, at the respective Sub County/City Division Headquarters.
According to Byabakama, an aspiring candidate for any office on the Women’s Committee shall be a female, ordinarily resident in the village, aged eighteen (18) years or above and a citizen of Uganda.
The aspirant shall be registered on the Village Women’s Council Register, no academic qualifications shall be required and furthermore, no nomination fee shall be required.
Village Women’s Committee shall consist of five (5) positions; Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Secretary for Finance.
Byabakama said the conduct of Women Councils/Committees Elections are progressive in nature starting at Village and ending at National Level, which means that for one to be elected at the National Level, she should have been successfully elected right from the Village level.
He also revealed that Shs35.6 billion has been allocated to cater for the preparations of the elections and other electoral-related activities.
The current Women Councils and Committees were elected during the period June – August 2018 and the Executive Committee of the National Women’s Council was constituted on August 23-24, 2018.
According to the National Women’s Council Act, the terms of office of the said Councils and Committees is four (4) years, implying their term will elapse in August 2022.
A National Conference for the National Women Committee Elections (display of register, nomination of candidates, campaigns, voting, counting and declaration of results) will be held from August 22-23, 2022.