Mukono, Uganda: Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze has slammed the government for claiming a lack of funds to conduct LC1 elections, despite the National Resistance Movement (NRM) recently holding massive internal primaries across the country.
Hon. Nambooze, a vocal National Unity Platform (NUP) legislator, accused the government of prioritizing NRM political processes over constitutional mandates, particularly the democratic rights of ordinary Ugandans at the grassroots.
“The government says it doesn’t have money to conduct LC1 elections, yet the NRM holds massive primaries and even votes for LC positions. It is very absurd because we are all Ugandans and we deserve the same treatment,” Nambooze said.
She noted that while NUP had opted for a vetting process to select candidates due to limited resources, the government should not hide behind financial constraints when it comes to national electoral obligations.
“As NUP, we are using vetting because we don’t have enough funds, and the little we have is being reserved for the national campaigns. But the state has no excuse when it comes to fulfilling constitutional duties like LC1 elections,” she emphasized.
Nambooze also raised concern about the violence and electoral irregularities that marred the recent NRM primaries, where multiple candidates across the country reported incidents of vote rigging, ballot stuffing, and intimidation. Some areas even recorded fatalities and injuries during the exercise.
Political observers have echoed similar sentiments, warning that continued delays in conducting LC1 elections erodes citizen trust in the state’s commitment to democracy, and deepens political inequality in favor of the ruling party.
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