KAMPALA – The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has said only Shs900m has been earmarked for facilitating the party candidates in the Local Council One elections due on July 10.
Addressing a press conference in Kampala yesterday, Mr Tanga Odoi, the chairman NRM electoral commission, dismissed reports that billions of shillings have been given to the party flag bearers in the village elections.
He said the money, which will be distributed through Members of Parliament to the different villages around the country, will be used to help the party hire a tent, refreshments and a public address system.
“Every political party has a way of facilitating its candidates and all parties facilitate candidates to get agents because in every election you must have agents and mobilizers,” Mr Tanga said.
“It is just because NRM is a white horse; we just used Shs900m. If there is any money you know which I don’t know then it is unofficial, the one I know and we agreed upon in a meeting is Shs900m to give them a base; if Shs900m is said to cause inflation in an area then that economics is wrong, this is a dot in an ocean,” he added
“We only secured little money for this exercise and we are giving it out in different portions. All the villages in the country will receive their share,” Mr Tanga said.
The vice chairman NRM EC, Mr John Kijaji, added: “It is small facilitation on average and it is handled because the meetings are held at sub county level so that they can afford to hire a tent, refreshments and a public address system.”
If this money is to be distributed among the 60,800 villages countrywide, each candidate will receive about Shs14, 800.
The officials noted that the party held primaries and got flag bearers in all the 60800 villages in the country and so far 29% are unopposed.
Meanwhile, the party issued their roadmap for their primaries elections in the upcoming LCII and women council committees from parish to district level.
“The NRM shall hold at primaries at Parish, Sub-county/Town council/Division and district levels countrywide to elect Flag Bearers for women council committees and LCII. At Parish level, the commission shall elect 5 flag bearers in the 8, 387 Parishes while at Subcounty level, primaries will be held in 1, 666. We shall then proceed to the 122 districts and end with primaries at national level,” the statement read.