Nominations for Local Council II (LC II) chairperson candidates have officially begun across the country, with aspirants in Luwero District promising to tackle land disputes and improve the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) if elected.
The one-day nomination exercise is being conducted at sub-county and town council headquarters across Luwero’s 101 parishes ahead of the LC II elections scheduled for August 10. According to the Electoral Commission roadmap, campaigns will run from August 4 to 9.
Unlike the recently concluded LC I elections, LC II chairpersons will not be elected through universal adult suffrage. Instead, voting will be conducted by the 11 members of each Village Council. The exercise started quietly in many areas, attracting little public attention. By the time of filing this report, most parishes had attracted two contestants, while some had only one candidate, predominantly from the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Luwero District Returning Officer Moses Rwanks Kiconco described the nomination exercise as peaceful, attributing the calm to the relatively small number of candidates eligible to contest. Kiconco, however, said several aspirants were turned away after attempting to change political parties despite having been elected to Village Councils under different party tickets.
“The rules are clear. A candidate can only be nominated under the political party through which they were elected at the Village Council level. Those who attempted to change parties were not allowed to proceed,” Kiconco said. As campaigns get underway, candidates have identified equitable distribution of Parish Development Model funds and resolving persistent land conflicts as their key priorities.
Moses Majwega, the NRM candidate for Nakikota Parish in Luwero Sub-county, said land wrangles remain one of the biggest challenges facing residents. He accused some local leaders of collaborating with land grabbers and pledged to protect landowners if elected.
Grace Wadda, the NRM candidate for Kiwogozi Parish in Luwero Town Council, pledged to ensure fairness in the allocation of PDM funds, accusing previous leaders of allowing non-residents to benefit at the expense of genuine parish residents.
Independent candidate Peter Businge, who is contesting for the Nakikota Parish LC II chairperson seat, also criticised previous leaders over what he described as unequal distribution of PDM funds among villages. He pledged to promote transparency and ensure all eligible residents benefit from government programmes.
In Kabakedi Parish, NRM candidate Ibrahim Ssenyange promised to eliminate bribery in the selection of PDM beneficiaries, saying residents should access the programme without paying illegal fees.
Meanwhile, NRM Deputy Secretary General Rose Namayanja Nsereko underscored the importance of electing competent LC II chairpersons, noting that they also chair Parish Development Model committees and play a central role in overseeing implementation of the government programme.”It is important for voters to elect a person who is honest and committed to ensuring that the community benefits from the programme and that it contributes to the development of the area,” Namayanja said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
