LLG polls ready

By REBECCA KUKU
THE Electoral Commission has been allocated K100 million to conduct local–level government elections in the 6228 wards around the country from July to September. The writs will be issued on Thursday, July 26. Nominations open that day and close on Aug 1. Polling begins on August 20 and closes on September 3. The return of writs should be on or before Sept 24.
Electoral Commission media adviser Alphonse Muapi told The National that the updated 2017 Common Roll would be used. And they are expecting more people to take part than during the 2017 general election.
“Based on past LLG elections records, more people take part in the LLG elections maybe because it is done within the community and people have time to participate,” he said.
Councillors will be elected in the 6228 wards who then later pick a LLG president from among them.
There are 341 LLGs in the 89 districts around the country.
“The Government has allocated K100m for the LLG elections and the Electoral Commission is starting to prepare for the elections,” he said.
Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato said Minister for Inter-Government Relations Kevin Isifu had approved the dates for the LLG elections.
Gamato said the National Executive Council in December 2015 had approved that ward councillors would be electing their LLG presidents in their respective assemblies.
“That decision still stands and unless there’s a change, the Electoral Commission will conduct one election for the ward members using the Limited Preferential Voting system,” he said.
In the past, voters in each LLGs elected their presidents too during the elections.