Here’s the full statement from Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda – CCEDU on the KCCA amendment bill 2015 allegedly aimed at disenfranchising Kampalans from electing the city mayor:
On Tuesday, November 10th 2015, government presented a Bill seeking to amend the Kampala Capital City Authority Act 2010. A key proposal in the Bill is the change of the mode of electing a Lord Mayor for Kampala.
In its long title, the object of the Bill is stated as “to amend the Kampala Capital City Act, 2010, to streamline and strengthen the governance of the Capital City in accordance with Article 5 (4) of the Constitution; to provide for the Lord Mayor to be elected by the Council from among the Councilors; to clarify the roles of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor; to rationalize the provisions relating to the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority with the structure and provisions relating to the Capital City Authority and for related matter.”
The proposed changes are fundamental and go to the core, not only of facilitating better administrative Management of Kampala, but also its political leadership.
Prima facie, the Bill seeks to disenfranchise Kampalans from electing the most important political head of the City by seeking to end adult suffrage and resorting to an Electoral College system.
The pros and cons of this are hopefully captured in the detail of the Bill. However, as an institution whose core existence is premised on promoting Electoral Democracy in Uganda, the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) would like to highlight a number of concerns; The Act that the new Bill seeks to amend was itself passed under controversial circumstances hardly five years ago, it was rushed through Parliament at a time when MPs were busy campaigning for re-election and the effect of this has been reaped in a highly defective law.
It is surprising therefore that government has chosen almost the same timing to table another law which makes the motive suspect. It is not possible to create a proper law under these circumstances.
Like other critical Electoral Law reforms that government sought to defer on account of time, CCEDU would like to advise that the Kampala Capital City (Amendment) Bill 2015 equally be deferred to next Parliament which can soberly and comprehensively scrutinize it with a view of making a fair, meaningful law to anchor the development of Kampala Capital City.
In December 2013 CCEDU realesed a number of model Bills developed after a careful study of the weaknesses that existed in some of our Electoral laws, later through the Citizens Manifesto initiative and the Free and Fair Elections more proposals were reduced into a Citizen’s Compact, all these were apparently ignored by government. One is then left to wonder at the unique interest and the timing of the Kampala Capital City Authority (Amendment) Act 2015.
It is important to note that the Electoral Road map is already midway, candidates have come up and some parties, notably the National Resistance Movement (NRM), have gone through an expensive, rigorous and painstaking exercise to select flag bearers, it is sad therefore that the Electoral Commission is again bending its rules to postpone the nomination of candidates for Lord Mayor. It’s a travesty of the perceived independence of the Electoral Commission for the institution to work in anticipation of changes in the law when it already has an existing legal framework.
Lastly, CCEDU would like to urge the people of Kampala and all Ugandans, to embrace the message of Topowa, don’t give up, Honour Your Vote, your choice makes the difference. Meaningfully participate in these election processes, don’t sale your vote and remember to go out and vote when the time comes.