By Andrew Irumba

Kampala: Members of Parliament have resolved to drag the Electoral Commission to court, accusing the Commission’s  officials of failure to demarcate constituencies ahead of the 2021 General Elections.

Hon. Florence Namayanja, Dr Abed Bwanika and Hon Michael Mabikke, through their lawyers of Kirya  and  Co. Advocates, have issued a Notice of intention to sue the Electoral Commission about their failure to demarcate constituencies, yet the elections are just a few months away.

Namayanja revealed  that they have decided to go to court because of the EC’s  failure to harmonize, consider and re-demarcate the number of inhabitants and registered voters in each constituency as stipulated in the constitution of Uganda.

Their intention to sue reads in part thus;

“We act for and on behalf of our clients Dr Abed Bwanika, Hon. Florence Namayanja,  Hon. Mike Mabikke and others on who instructions we address you as follows;

That recently the Electoral Commission issued a roadmap to the 2021 General Elections for Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government.

However, our Clients’ attention has been drawn to the failure by the Electoral Commission  to harmonise, consider and re-demarcate the number of constituencies vis-a-vis the number of inhabitants and registered voters in each constituency  as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.

Article 61 (1) (b)  of the Constitution prescribes one of the functions  and mandate of the Electoral Commission as  that of demarcating constituencies in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Uganda and Article 63 (1) sets the factors the Electoral Commission must take into Account and Consideration when  determining and demarcating boundaries.

These factors include Population, Geographical Features, Population Density and Area.”

However, despite having received the intention to sue from the legislators’ lawyers, the Electoral Commission is yet to reply on whether they will act accordingly or continue with their roadmap without demarcating the constituencies or find a way of doing the needful.