Kira Municipality Member of Parliament Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has advised that if Uganda’s politics is to be reconstructed, responsible authorities should start by reducing the number of elective positions.
The Forum for Democratic Change spokesperson noted that currently Uganda as a whole has over 1 million elective positions starting from village level up to the executive arm yet the country is poor and is not able to fund all of them.
“Politics in Uganda will need to be reconstructed, if Electoral Commission presents a budget of Shs1.3 trillion, yet we cannot pay our intern doctors and we cannot construct roads, it is so embarrassing. Uganda is a poor country how then do you spend Shs1.3 trillion on organizing elections that are going to be rigged? I think the reconstruction of politics should start with reducing the big number of administrative units we have in Uganda,” he said.
“You go to a village, there is a council for youth, council for elderly, council for PWD, council for women, there L.C 1, nearly 60 people per village are leaders in Uganda. This gerrymandering must stop in the spirit of the country.”
For decades, Uganda has experienced waves of political gerrymandering manned by members of the ruling party with the aim of creating numbers in parliament and at the local government level. However, research has shown that a surplus of elective positions in Uganda has led to political fragmentation and a lack of consensus. This has resulted in gridlock and hindered effective governance as different offices may have conflicting agendas.
It has also birthed the problem of less expertise and experience since a large number of elective positions have attracted less experienced or qualified candidates seeking to fill roles for personal gain or recognition.
Recent research has also shown that an abundance of elective positions in Uganda has created more opportunities for corrupt practices since it has become harder to monitor all elected officials adequately.
Meanwhile, Ssemujju’s caution comes a day after the Electoral Commission released the roadmap leading to the 2026 General Elections, with a focus on early preparations and adequate funding for all activities.
Although Ssemujju advocates for the reduction of administrative units, during the launch of the roadmap which took place at Hotel Africana, the EC Chairperson, Simon Justice Byabakama Mugenyi appealed to the government to consider and approve the creation of new administrative units in a timely manner so that the electoral program and budget are not destabilized.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
