Parliament has directed the government to explain the 2021 ballot paper deal that climaxed with the sacking of top Electoral Commission officials early this week.

Appearing on the floor of parliament on Wednesday, July 22, Kira Municipality Member of Parliament, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda raised a matter of national importance about the bidding process of printing the ballot papers for the 2021 general election.

Ssemujju noted that the Attorney General and Justice Minister have failed to respond to earlier queries about the procurement process for the printing of ballot paper ahead of the forthcoming polls.

“Madam Speaker you recall I raised a matter of national importance regarding the printing of ballot papers for the next general election and informed parliament that one of the candidates at presidential level had taken away that responsibility from the Electoral Commission and contracted a Germany company called Veridos to print the ballot papers,” Ssemujju said.

“I read in the papers that some Electoral Commission officers were interdicted because they cancelled the (Veridos) deal,” Ssemujju added.

He, therefore, asked parliament to summon government to explain circumstances surrounding the same.

Responding to Ssemujju’s concern, the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alitwala Kadaga asked the clerk to include the matter on the order paper and also asked either the Attorney General or Justice Minister to come and respond to the queries.

“I will ask the Clerk to put it on the order paper so that the Attorney General or the Minister of Justice can come and explain that issue to this house,” Kadaga said.

Background

President Museveni on Tuesday, July 22 fired eight senior Electoral Commission officers including Sam Rwakoojo(secretary), Joseph Lwanga(Director Finance and Administrator ), Godfrey Wanyoto (head of procurement); Jotham Taremwa (Public Relations Officer); Pontius Namugera (Information Technology director), Jordan Lubega (Administrator networks), Charles Musuza and Edgar Kasigwa (data specialists).

According to inside reports, the sacking might have been occasioned due to the rejection of a bid by Veridos Identity Solutions, a German company that had earlier got a joint venture deal with Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) to print money and other security printing deals for government.

This website has also learnt that the president had recommended the company to take the deal of printing the 2021 ballot papers but the same was ignored by the Electoral Commission officials hence necessitating the sacking.