The Electoral Commission (EC) has said they will be hiring 250,677 officials on short term contracts ahead of the elections of the women councils and committees across the country.
At least three people from each of the 70,512 villages, 10,690 parishes, 2,211 sub-counties, and 146 districts will be hired to oversee the elections whose roadmap has already been sent to the various political parties to prepare for the June polls.
Mr Paul Bukenya, the EC spokesperson, said on Saturday that the jobs will include supervisors, presiding officers, and polling assistants.
According to EC documents seen by this website, supervisors at parish level are paid Shs288,000 while those at sub-county level earn Shs540,000 per month. Presiding officers earn Shs20,000 per day while polling assistants bag Shs10,000 a day.
The current council and committee’s term elapses in August after their four-year term as stipulated by the law.
The Women’s Council Amendment Act 2010 as amended, stipulates that the village committee will be represented by five members including chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, publicity secretary, and secretary for finance.
“These elections have been happening and because they are unique in their own way, we make sure that the process is started earlier which is why we are sending this programme to the political parties four months before it starts,” Mr Bukenya.
The current National council of women committee is chaired by Ms Kibowa Fridah (Hajat). She is deputised by Ms Linda Auma.
According to the roadmap, the process will start with the compilation of village women’s registers between June 10 and 13, and the elections will be held on July 7. Compilation of the voter’s register at parish/ward level will be held between July 8 and 9 while the elections will be held on July 22.
At the sub-county/city division/town council/municipality level, a compilation of the voter’s register will be held on July 23 and the polling will take place on August 2. At the District/city level, complications of their registration will be held on August 3 and elections will be on August 12.
The process of getting the national women committee will take place between August 22 and 23.
EC officials on Saturday said that an approved budget of Shs35b had been earmarked to facilitate the roadmap whose implementation process is already underway.
The officials said the cash would be used to facilitate the compilation of registers at different levels, paying the elections officers, funding the polling day activities as well as driving the election cycle to the end.
Mr Rogers Mulindwa, the NRM secretariat spokesperson, said: “We have not received this communication but as NRM we have always been ready for any election process. We now have to undertake the process of getting party committees to spearhead the mobilisation process at the grass-root. These elections are important and I know at the village level, we can manage to win by 95 percent. We shall start the preparations immediately.”
Mr Waiswa Mufumbiro, the NUP deputy spokesperson, said: “We all know how these Electoral College elections have been structured. They favour one side just like any other election, heavily militarised, characterised by intimidation and all those kind of vices. But our women league has already sat and made a plan for the elections. We shall be laying out the plan with time to the public but our teams are already on the ground with our campaign called Kunga strategy.”
Ms Alice Alaso, the deputy National Coordinator of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), said: “We are not even aware of these elections but since they have been put out, we shall try and organise for them. These Electoral College elections are shady and we know what they intend to do.”