UPC calls for more civic education on women council elections

By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,

NATIONAL

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has put on the spot Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama’s election commission over ignoring voter education ahead of the women council elections.

According to UPC that the EC has not fully sensitized the masses on the ongoing registration exercise for the women council elections something that has caused to low turn up of women.

Arach oyat Sharon, the party spokesperson alleged the absenteeism of the officers in charge of registering women in some areas.

“We have also learnt that the officers in charge of compilation of women’s register are not visible in some gazzated areas,” Arach said

She further alleged there are reports from tbeir leaders that same officers in undisclosed villages are making random door to door registration exercise something she says that it is contrary to the set guidelines.

According to Arach, this does not only make it difficult for the women to register but also demoralizes them from participating in the election exercise.

UPC demands that the EC ensures enough mobilization and sensitization of voters in order to conduct the election in a free and fairly manner if its objectives are to be achieved.

In addition, the country’s oldest political party has appealed to its members at village and national levels to register and partake in the forth-coming women council elections in large numbers.

“Now that the registration exercise is extended a little bit further, we encourage party leaders at all levels and the general membership to carry on with the massive mobilization of all UPC women to register in the village women’s register at the respective gazzated areas across the countr, participate in all related activities and at the same time identify potential women who will carry the UPC flag as candidates in the forthcoming women council elections,” urged Arach

About Women Council Elections

On February 18, the EC released an electoral roadmap for the women councils and committees from the village to national levels.

According to the programme, the exercise started on Friday June10 with the compilation of village women’s register and was supposed to end on June 13. However, the period has been extended to up to Friday June17 to allow more eligible women who had not registered to register and participate in the election

Paul Bukenya, the EC spokesperson says that voting for the women councils at the village level will take place on 7th July, 2022. He said the exercise is progressive in nature and will therefore progress to parish, Sub-county, to the district, upto the National Delegates Conference for the Women Executive Committes between 23rd August and 24th August, 2022.

In Uganda, tbe women councils and committees elections was last held in 2018.