NEW COUNTIES IN UGANDA: Gerrymandering or Promoting Service Delivery?Daniel R. Ruhweza*The Parliament of Uganda, which is already one of the largest parliaments in Africajustpassed a law creating more counties in arious districts of Uganda. This means that moreconstituencies hae !een created and !y necessary implication the "lectoral #ommissionwill !e re$uired to organize elections for more %em!ers of Parliament in Uganda. Themoe to create more constituencies was reportedly started !y President &oweri %useeniand effected !y the %inister for 'ocal (oernment Adolf %wesigwa.) *n a missie to the %inister for 'ocal (oernment, the President argued that the creationof new counties was !ased on the fact that some districts were oer+populated and yet hadonly one constituency.,The President further argued that the creation of moreconstituencieswasalsonecessarytohelpresole-complicatedadministrationissues,.separateariousethnicgroups, andalsocounterpoorplanninginsomeofthe/one+constituency districts.01 The President additionally e2plained that the e2tra constituencieswere needed so as to resole the friction !etween leaders, address the need to/emancipate0 some tri!al groupings, !ring serices closer to the people, and address thechallenge of remoing the domination of !igger ethnic groups in some districts. 3At first glance, the reasons adanced !y the President appear genuine and $uiteunderstanda!le.*t is o!iously unfair for one ethnic group to dominate all opportunitiesaaila!le inacountyor district at the e2pense of others. *t goes against the wellentrenched constitutional proisions against discrimination !ased on ethnicity. 4oweer,the solution is not in creating a separate constituency which diides the people further.The solution to this issue is already proided for !y e2isting legislationwhich has led tothe esta!lishment of state institutions such as the "$ual 5pportunities #ommission, the)*AttorneyandLecturer at Law,School of Law, Department of LawandJurisprudence, MakerereUniversity 6tephen 7afeero 8 A!u!a9er 7irunda -%useeni: %ore %P seats in ,;) August ,;)?.3 Ibid3 Article