With the Uganda Rugby Union elective assembly around the corner, and nominees for the Executive Committee being announced, the talk is fast rising about who is eligible to vote.
Slated to happen on Sunday 23rd April 2023, the exercise is run following the URU Constitution as amended by the special General Meeting of 24th June 2018.
How the Constitution guides
According to the constitution, there shall be two classes of General Meetings of the Union; Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting.
The Annual General Meeting shall be held within four months after the close of the financial year and the Union accounts have been audited.
It further goes on to state that the Union shall have an Executive Committee elected by the General Meeting.
The Executive Committee shall comprise the following offices (i) President, (ii) Vice President (Technical), (iii) Vice President (Commercial), (iv) Hon Secretary, and (v) Hon. Treasurer.
The list goes on to (vi) Upcountry Representative, (vii) and two Developments members elected by affiliates of Uganda Women’s Rugby Association, and the Committee for Age Grade and Development Rugby.
The Executive Committee shall co-opt one member who must be a female within a
period of 6 months upon assuming their elective office for the EXCOM to be fully
constituted as per the World Rugby and Rugby Africa regulations.
Who is eligible to vote and why?
With that understood, it leads us to the biggest question; Who gets to vote?
“9.10 The Annual General Meeting shall elect the members of the Executive Committee,
except the female committee member that will be co-opted by the elected Executive.”
This provision in the article loosely translates that only paid-up members can attend the AGM and consequently vote.
According to the registrar, every Member Club has a total of 2 votes. Clubs with reserve sides get an extra vote, and facility clubs get one vote.
So, what does it take to be a Member Club?
According to the URU constitution, membership of the Union shall be available to playing clubs and facilities that offer venues for rugby, and the term “member club” applies to both categories of members.
Every Member Club and any Club on probation is mandated to pay membership fees as determined by the Annual General Meeting from time to time.
As of the last AGM, the annual membership fee was set at Ugx 200,000.
Are all the clubs participating in URU organized tournaments member clubs?
The answer is NO. Several actively playing clubs are not included in the registrar. This is because they’re either not fully registered or not eligible for membership.
(It’s a prerequisite for a club to be organized under a constitution to be eligible for membership.)
However, the constitution permits such teams to participate in matches and competitions organized by the Union
Have the proceedings so far been in line with the Constitution?
No! The process has already recorded discrepancies from the constitution. According to Article 9, nominations for office bearers shall be received at least 14 days before the AGM.
However, in a communication dated Apr 14, 2023, 1:54 PM via their official Twitter page, URU announced that candidates who picked up nomination forms would return them that Sunday (16th April) which nullifies the 14 days (to the AGM) window stipulated in the constitution.
More deviations could happen as there’s talk of waiving outstanding membership fee balances for some member clubs, especially for those that were unable to meet their dues in the Covid-19 period.
Talking to the CEO URU Isaac Lutwama, he hinted about an ongoing Constitutional review to address the grey areas therein and also a couple of additions to cater to the changing times.
As of 18th April 2023, the URU voting registrar stands at 77 possible voters, with only 13 fully paid-up Member Clubs, accounting for 29 of the votes.
More member clubs are expected to clear their dues within the week, as they all try to have a voice in shaping the future of the Uganda Rugby Union.
By: Emmanuel Sama
Photo Credit: URU Media
