The Cabinet has resolved to extend the tenure of the women’s local council for an additional six months, beginning January 6, 2024.
The term of the women’s local council lapsed on August 23, 2022, necessitating new elections to replace leadership positions.
Earlier this year, the electoral commission issued guidelines for these elections. However, the plans were suspended four months later due to inadequate funding.
Addressing the media after the Cabinet’s session on December 18, the State Minister for Information, Godfrey Kabyanga, clarified that the extension wasn’t due to financial constraints.
Instead, it aims to ensure all administrative aspects concerning these elections are properly resolved.
Kabyanga highlighted the potential post-election issues, such as court petitions, stating that the government needs to prepare for such scenarios in advance.
“Elections is a very sensitive thing, it can bring about a lot of petitions when you are not ready, so that’s why we are postponing them until we are ready so that we can produce a free and fair election,” he explained.
This extension aligns with postponements seen in the Local Council One (LC I) and Local Council Two (LC II) leadership elections, whose terms concluded in July 2022.