Election Officials Plan Demo Over Pay Delays

Disgruntled election officials in Kampala metropolitan are reaching out their upcountry counterparts for a demo against the Electoral Commission over non – payment of their allowances.

Smlnews has learnt that officials who conducted Special Interest Group (SIGs) elections (Youth, Pwds, Women and Elderly) from village, parish, sub-county, city and district levels have not received a penny despite completing the exercise.

Each level of elections under SIGs had a presiding officer, two Polling Assistants and a Police constable entitled to Ugx 50,000 and Ugx 40,000 respectively.

The Electoral Commission conducted elections in over 68,000 villages across the country between August and September 20, but the officials have not received any payment since then.

They now want EC to clear their allowances before another round of elections.

The electoral commission early this week started the nominations for local councils across the country and the exercise has so far been peaceful.

The visible challenge however has been the observance of the guidelines by the Ministry of Health against COVID19.

Well as the electoral commission is emphasizing SOPs in the electoral activities, only a piece of soap and water were available at election points with no emphasis of masks even for election officials leave alone hardships in enforcing social distancing.

This was visible during SIGs elections and is the case now as nominations continue across the country.

When contacted, EC spokesman Paul Bukenya denied the commission has not paid election officials saying save for isolated cases, all were paid through mobile money transfers.

“Besides, the new budget is running and the same officials are still engaged in electoral duties with the commission and will certainly be paid their full entitlements” Bukenya told smlnews in a telephone conversation.

On the breach of the COVID-19 guidelines in the just concluded elections for the special interest groups, Bukenya blamed the vice on carelessness on the side of individual participants.