Parliament approves new EC leaders

A Parliament staff leads the new Electoral Commission chairman Justice Simon Byabakama, vice chairperson Hajjati Aisha Lubega, and commissioner Peter Emorut to the waiting room before they were vetted by the Parliamentary Appointments Committee yesterday. Photo by Alex Esagala

PARLIAMENT- As the Parliamentary Appointments Committee prepared to convene to vet the new Electoral Commission leaders, members of the Opposition summoned the press and proclaimed their boycott.

Reason: They couldn’t participate in a process that will not guarantee an independent electoral body as demanded by the “people” through the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).

“The President hurriedly appointed members of the Electoral Commission without considering the popular views…we believe the voice of the Ugandan should be heard and we cannot, without the mandate of Ugandans, take part in the vetting exercise,” Ms Winnie Kiiza, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, told the press.

They, however, didn’t register their reservations with the chair of the committee. Therefore, the vetting went on and the Opposition members were simply registered as absent.

“They did not notify me of any of their complaints or anything. For us we went ahead and sat and vetted the appointees,” Speaker Rebecca Kadaga told Daily Monitor.

A fortnight ago, President Yoweri Museveni appointed, Justice Simon Byabakama as the new Electoral Commission chairperson to be deputised by Hajjati Aisha Lubega. Mr Peter Emorut, Stephen Tashobya, Prof George Piwang and Mustapha Ssebagala were appointed as members of the Commission.
According to information from the usually closed committee, all the appointees were approved.

However, Ms Kizza accuses committee chair Rebecca Kadaga of ignoring the concerns raised by Democratic President Norbert Mao, the head of the IPOD for dialogue.

“We still believe in the IPOD and what the parties agreed in the State House meeting must be given chance,” said Kiiza

Mr Mao on November 23, 2016 petitioned the Speaker, seeking a stay of the vetting of newly nominated members of the electoral commission, stating that there was need to harmonise the aspirations of IPOD as highlighted in the Citizens Compact.

“The President’s recent action of unilaterally appointing a new Electoral Commission if not reviewed will undermine the spirit of IPOD irreparably,” Mr Mao’s petition reads.

The petition also highlighted President Museveni’s commitment for a neutral appointment of the electoral commission in an IPDO meeting in July this year, a position he dropped when four months later, he nominated Justice Simon Byabakama as new Electoral Commission Chair, replacing Eng Badru Kiggundu whose term of office had elapsed.

“The meeting agreed that there would be [efforts] to ensure that the process of appointing a new Electoral Commission would be inclusive in order that all political actors enter an arena of competition with full confidence in the independence and impartiality of the referee,” he said.

According to a communiqué from Mr Moses Bwalatum, the Parliament principal information officer, the appointments committee met its quorum and the Opposition boycott was of no impact.

“The Speaker doesn’t have any reasons why other members have not attended, save for that of the LOP (who only indicated she would be absent). She has also not received any objections,” read the memo.

Vetting ec bosses

Boycott. Members of the Opposition stayed away from vetting EC bosses arguing that they would not participate in a process that will not guarantee an independent electoral body as demanded by the “people” through the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).
Different view. The Speaker said the members of the Opposition did not notify her and as such the appointees were vetted.
Petition. Mr Mao on November 23, 2016 petitioned the Speaker, seeking a stay of the vetting of newly nominated members of the Electoral Commission, stating that there was need to harmonise the aspirations of IPOD as highlighted in the Citizens Compact.