44 candidates in Uganda presidential election race

Kampala: In what might be a history making election, more than 40 candidates have picked forms from the electoral commission seeking to challenge incumbent President Yoweri Museveni who has been in power for 24 years now.

A total of 44 candidates had picked the nomination forms by Tuesday from the commission in time for the early 2011 general elections. The commission has been forced to review its budget of some US$85million that had been planned to cover just 10 candidates. Its head, Badru Kiggundu, told reporters Tuesday that aspiring presidential candidates will submit lists of the 100 signatures from at least 75 districts, required for their nomination, by October 11 for verification. The presidential nomination is slated for October 25 and 26 at country’s Mandela National Stadium. Although the Electoral Commission, said it had planned for only 10 candidates and had already received 10 cars for them. Kiggundu insisted to reporters that there was neither a limit for the number of candidates nor the time limit for picking the forms He however, said picking forms was just the beginning of the process which requires fulfillment of a lot of conditions that many of the aspiring candidates who have picked the forms may not be able to fulfill. In 2006 close to 10 aspiring candidates picked nomination forms but the rest including renowned Ugandan clown Paddy Bitama dropped off and only five were nominated and run to the end of the campaigns. Bitama has again picked the forms, according to reports. Nominated aspirants will receive sh20m, a car and Police escorts. But where a candidate withdraws from the race within 30 days after nomination, such a candidate shall refund the money.