Kampala — THE Constitution (Amendment) Bill No. 2 that seeks to establish regional tier governments has been forwarded to the Electoral Commission (EC) to initiate ratification process.

Parliament's spokesman Bernard Eceru said the EC is required to send the Bill to district councils for ratification before it is assented to by MPs.

The Bill provides for creation of regional governments of Buganda, Bunyoro, Busoga, Acholi, Lango and Teso.

"Districts have to first ratify those parts which concern them before the Bill goes to the president. It is the EC to certify that the Bill has been approved or rejected," Eceru said.

The Bill says a district shall not be taken to have agreed to join a regional government unless the proposal has been approved by resolution of the district council, supported by two-thirds of the councillors.

Eceru said after district councils have voted on the Bill, EC chairman Dr. Badru Kiggundu will be expected to write to the Clerk to Parliament, Aeneas Tandekwire, confirming the outcome of the vote.

If districts approve the Bill, the Speaker to Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, will attach a certificate of authentication and send it to the president for assent.

EC spokesman Okello Jabweli said they had received the Bill from Tandekwire and were making preparations to take it to district councils.

"Very soon we shall announce a programme for taking that bill to the district councils. We anticipated the Bill so we had done most of the preliminary things like preparing a register for district councils," he said. He said EC would not visit all the districts.

The Bill is supposed to be approved by two-thirds of all the districts.