Summary:
- The Electoral Commission is constructing its first custom-built Regional Election Office in Arua City, West Nile, at a cost of 4.699 billion shillings, with an expected completion date in September 2024; the center will serve administrative, data processing, training, and storage purposes, reducing government rental costs and enhancing efficiency in electoral services.
The Electoral commission (EC) has embarked on the construction of the first-ever custom-built Regional Election Office to serve all the 12 districts and Arua city in the West Nile..
The construction works for the Regional Election Centre located on Plot 2, Municipal By-pass in Arua central division, Arua City, has been handed over to the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF).
According to the contract document, the construction which is estimated to take 8 months from January to September 2024 is worth 4.699 billion shillings.
Speaking during the site handover on Friday, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, the Electoral Commission Chairperson said the proposed Arua Regional Office marks the first of the regional offices the Commission plans to construct across the country in a phased manner.
He further commended the local leaders of Arua City and District for allocating the Commission land for the construction of the regional election center.
Once completed, the regional office which is expected to have office space and warehouses will enable the electoral body to conduct a range of administrative work, data processing, training, and storage of electoral materials before they are transported to the EC headquarters in Kampala.
The center will equally act as a nomination and results tallying center, according to information obtained from the electoral commission.
Nobert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs said that the construction of regional election offices will go a long way in reducing government expenditure on rental costs.
According to Mao, the Commission has plans to construct at least twelve regional election centers across the country to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the provision of electoral services.
Kalsum Abdu Fadimula, the secretary for social services in Arua City welcomed the development and pledged support towards the monitoring of the construction of the facility.
During the first quota of the current Financial Year 2023/2024, the Government released Shillings 1.86 billion towards the construction of the Regional Election Center according to records from the Electoral Commission.
