Byabakama: You cannot be LC chairperson and councillor at once

The Electoral Commission (EC) has warned local council leaders against holding two elective positions, saying it contravenes the law and may attract legal action.

The warning comes after reports that some local leaders are serving as both LC2 chairpersons and councillors, while others have declined to hand over LC1 stamps after securing other elective positions.

Addressing journalists at the EC headquarters in Kampala, EC chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama said no individual should occupy two elective offices at the same time.

“If a chairperson of a certain area is also a councillor, that person must relinquish one of the two positions. You either leave the chairperson position or the councillor position. You cannot hold two positions,” Byabakama said.

He explained that local council chairpersons hold a special administrative role in communities and cannot continue exercising authority while occupying another elective office.

People lining up for elections

“If you have a stamp in your hand, you don’t have to continue holding it when you are now involved in another political position. These are issues that will be sorted out after the elections,” he said.

The EC announced July 28 as the date for the election of LC1 chairpersons in all 71,214 villages across the country. The exercise will cost Shs56 billion.

The LC1 elections were last held in 2018, after a 17-year delay since the previous elections in 2001. The tenure of local administrative unit leaders expired in July 2023 but has been extended six times under the Local Government Act due to lack of funds.

Last week, the Ministry of Finance released Shs56 billion to the EC to facilitate the long-awaited elections.

The funding has raised questions, given that LC1 elections are conducted through lining up behind candidates, their agents or symbols instead of using ballot papers.

However, Byabakama said the money will cater for various electoral activities, including facilitation of election officials, training, logistics and other operational costs.

The EC also announced that elections for LC2 chairpersons and Women Council leaders will be conducted as part of the local government electoral programme.

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