Government has declared Tuesday July 10 a public holiday to allow holding of Local Council one elections all over the country.
“The honorable minister of Public Service informs the general public that Tuesday 10th July 2018 will be observed as a public holiday throughout Uganda to enable Ugandans participate in the Local Council one elections to be conducted by the Electoral Commission,” reads in part a statement signed by the Public Service Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwire.
The official statement is also copied to the Minister for Public Service, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister and Executive Director, Uganda Media Centre.
Last year, court issued an order blocking the elections after James Tweheyo, a concerned citizen filed an application challenging the polls in the absence of A –level students who were by then(November) sitting their UACE examinations.
The Electoral Commission would later announce July 10 as the new date for holding the elections which were last held over 15 years ago.
Addressing journalists at their headquarters in Kampala a few weeks ago, Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama said they would wish everyone participate in the polls because they concern them directly.
“We intend to ask government to declare the day a public holiday to allow everyone including students, public servants and all workers to participate,”Byabakama said.
We think that if a public holiday is not announced, many of these would be left out in participating in the elections.”
In the past, a number of people have blamed the current fluid security situation to lack of a working local council system to be able to check on some of the criminalities right from the villages.