As the country warms up for the forthcoming women’s council and committee elections to be held on 7th July 2022, Electoral Commission (EC) says it is ready and all tools are on set
The Commission spokesperson Paul Bukenya says that over the last two weeks, they have been conducting the Verification of Administrative Units to establish and confirm Units established by law.
“As EC, we are prepared for Women Councils and Committees Elections, and we issued a programme as early as February for stakeholders to prepare and participate,” says Bukenya.
He adds that they have held stakeholders’ meetings, and outlined guidelines, and what they desire to achieve as another way of preparing for the process.
According to Bukenya, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) elections such as Women Councils & Committees Elections are exclusive because voting is by the electoral college.
“They are open and close to members’ participation. But as EC, we ensure the public knows about them,” says Bukenya adding, “What we need to do is to get the message down to the structures that these elections are coming up.”
On the question of the difference between Women Councils and Committees Elections from general elections, Bukenya clarified that these are village-based, and progressive in nature; from the village up to the national level whereas general elections include; Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government.
Uganda last held elections for Women Councils and Committees in June – August 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.
