Lining up behind a candidate is a primitive mode of voting

For the last three consecutive elections held in Uganda, there has been no elections at LC 1 and LC 2 levels. The last elections at those levels were held in 2001 under the movement system. The reason given every time since then was that there was no money to organise these elections, if they were to be held using the secret ballot method, which is no doubt the constitutionally approved mode of conducting elections at all levels.

Money has, however, been available for conducting and ‘mis-conducting’ elections at all higher levels from LC 3 to presidential elections. For the ruling party candidates at all these levels, money has been in abundance.

A lot of the money, of course, never reached the voters; It was siphoned off by the chosen few entrusted with its distribution. It was not uncommon for the bulk of the cash which was handed out in sacks to remain in Kampala on the accounts of corrupt party cadres.

Neither is it a coincidence that the election period is often marked by a boom in the real estate business, an influx of flashy cars in town and flaunting of wealth through lavish parties. More often than not, such expenditures are linked to people connected to the NRM election ‘gravy train’. Inflation has also tended to shoot up and the Shilling has fallen in value around election time; leaving many in no doubt that somebody had somehow put more currency in circulation in the country.

It may thus not be entirely correct to say that government has had no money to finance local elections since 2006. Government has always found money for elections but a large chunk of that money has also found its way in private pockets.
Isn’t it the President who once lamented that some people were stealing his money during elections?

The ruling party has also often given handouts to NRM MP, LC 5 and LC3 candidates given the rampant commercialisation of politics in Uganda. Well-funded NRM candidates always have a ‘leg-up’ over the less financially endowed opposition candidates especially for parliamentary seats. According to recent studies done on the 2016 elections, it cost an average of Shs400 millions to Shs500 million to mount a successful parliamentary campaign. No surprise that NRM has consistently ‘won’ more than 80 per cent of the seats while many in the Opposition went bankrupt trying to play ball with the big boys with deep pockets. There were other factors of course, which hindered the performance of the Opposition candidates, including intimidation, rigging and the partisan Electoral Commission.

I think the main reason why the government has not held local council elections at the grassroots is because it simply didn’t consider them a priority anymore. The LC 1 and LC2 system may have worked well in the bush era but it lost its relevance overtime. It is hardly functional at the moment and most of the so called LC1 and LC 2 chairmen and their councils have ‘inherited’ positions from those elected in 2001.
One wonders whom these people represent and if they are legally in office.

In this regard the announcement in Parliament late last year by my friend the Minister of Justice, General Kahinda Otafiire, that local councils election will be held in January by people lining up behind their preferred candidates shocked me.
In the 21st Century to reduce voting to lining up behind a candidate is primitive to say the least. If the government still wants to have local councils at the village level, let it find the money to conduct proper secret ballot elections.

My unsolicited advice is that the government should abandon this pretence of spreading democracies to the lowest levels. The government should revert to the old and proven system of appointing, through the civil service, the various village chiefs and empowering them to do their work. Government should also reduce the number of MPs, ministers and districts by no less than 50 per cent.

Mr Naggaga is an economist, administrator and retired ambassador.