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Citizen Posts
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A section of Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) members have written to the AUTO executive committee calling for the cancellation of the upcoming AUTO elections.
Through their lawyers; Atuhairwe and Company Advocates, the members have threatened legal action if the current AUTO leadership adamantly goes ahead and conducts elections that they are referring to as illegal and unconstitutional.
“Under the current memarts, the Executive Committee is barred from seeking re-election in the upcoming elections, as they have already served two consecutive terms of two years each,” the letter dated January 14th that this website has seen reads in part.
The letter further accuses the current AUTO leadership of altering the list of members, with several of them removed without their consent.
“The committee’s decision to conduct elections online violates the provisions of the constitution, as a majority of members should have passed the resolution. Consequently, the upcoming online vote is not only unlawful but also likely to be plagued by irregularities and malpractice,” the letter further states.
The letter follows the one addressed to the AUTO from the Uganda Tourism Association (UTA) and signed by Yewagnesh Biriggwa aka Yogi, the association’s president.
In the letter dated 14th, January 2024 and addressed to the AUTO chairperson, Ms Civy R.N. Tumusiime, Biriggwa put the current AUTO leadership on the spot for trying to change the rules to entrench their leadership.
Article 14 (1) of the Memorandum and Articles of Association setting up AUTO clearly states that each member of the executive committee shall hold office for the initial period of two (2) years and is eligible for re-election for an additional two (2) years.
However, in a move typical of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the current leadership seems hell-bent in changing the modus operandi to entrench themselves in AUTO leadership
Biriggwa called for an urgent meeting to establish the authenticity of the claims and resolve any hiccups before elections are conducted.
“Given the urgency of the matter and given that the day of the AGM and voting is less than 48 hours away, we would like to urgently request a meeting with your leadership or, in writing, get a response to these claims,” the letter reads in part.
The letter further states that adherence to constitutional principles enhances professionalism, inclusion and stakeholder confidence, all of which are important to the overall development of the tourism sector.
Other tourism enthusiasts that this website talked to slammed the upcoming elections terming them as an upfront on democratic practice.
“There are so many breaches I see in the whole process. According to Company Law, the venue, agenda, audited accounts, and AGM dates constitute the AGM notice. Sudden change of venue and introduction of a new unconstitutional voting system is a breach of AGM requirements as stipulated under Company Law and thus tantamount to poor Corporate Governance,” said Godfrey Baluku, a tourism expert.
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