MPs Demand Clarity on Funding Delays for LC1, LC2 Elections

Third Deputy Prime Minister Rukia Nakadama said Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi had prepared a Cabinet paper seeking funding approval for the elections through a supplementary budget.

State Minister for Finance Amos Lugoloobi told Parliament that discussions on the supplementary budget were ongoing and not yet finalized. He said the government had temporarily halted consideration of Supplementary Schedule No. 5 pending consultations on priority expenditures, including electoral funding.

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among indicated during plenary on April 15, 2026, that the supplementary budget was ready for tabling, noting that 55 billion shillings had been earmarked for LC1, LC2 and women council election committees, pending parliamentary approval.

The debate follows four extensions of LC1 and LC2 leaders’ mandates due to repeated election delays. In a Dec. 18, 2024, notice, Magyezi extended the term for administrative unit councils by up to 180 days beyond Dec. 31, 2024, citing funding shortfalls and the need to avoid a leadership vacuum.

Government officials have previously said the Electoral Commission needs about 50 billion shillings to conduct the elections, but funds were not immediately available from the Ministry of Finance.

MPs are pressing the government to provide a clear election timetable, along with firm financing assurances and improved remuneration for local council leaders.