KIGEZI NEWS Truth All Day
Related Articles
By Musinguzi Goodluck
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, I am pleased to welcome you to the Electoral Commission to brief the country, through you, about the progress we are making in implementing the 2025/2026 General Elections Roadmap.
On behalf of the Commission, I would like to thank you for the role you continue to play to ensure that citizens are aware of the different aspects of the electoral process, and thereby contributing to enabling them make informed decisions and choices about who will lead them as provided for in Article 1 (4) of the 1995 Constitution.
Progress of Implementation of the Roadmap
Since the Roadmap for the 2025/2026 General Elections was launched in August 2023, and revised in July 2024, the Commission has been able to accomplish the following milestones:
Demarcation of Local Government Electoral Areas and Re-organisation of polling stations for the 2025/2026 General Elections;
The General Update of the National Voters Register and Compilation of SIGs Registers
The public display of the National Voters Register;
The conduct of elections of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Committees from the Village Level to the National Level;
The conduct of nomination of candidates for Presidential, General Parliamentary and Local Government Councils.
As a result of the above activities, some of the basic statistics for the 2026 General Elections are as follows:
No
Description
Number (13th Nov. 2025)
1.
No. of Districts in Uganda
146
2.
No. of Counties
312
3.
No. of Constituencies
353
4.
No. of Sub Counties/Towns/Municipal Divisions
2,191
5.
Number of Parishes
10,717
6.
Number of Villages
71,214
7.
Number of Polling Stations
50,739
8.
Number of Registered Voters
21,681,491
Out of the 21,681,491 (twenty-one million six hundred and eighty-one thousand four hundred and ninety-one) voters, the number of male voters is 10,334,362 (ten million three hundred and thirty-four thousand three hundred and sixty-two). This makes 47 percent, while the number of female voters is 11,347,129 (eleven million three hundred and forty-seven thousand one hundred and twenty-nine) translating into 53 percent of registered voters.
The Commission urges the above voters to turn up to exercise their right to vote and chose their leaders at all levels on the polling days as indicated above at each respective elective position.
The Electoral Commission will shortly commence issuance of Voter Location Slips (VLS) to the voters across the country to enable them conveniently locate their respective polling stations on polling day.
We are directing EC staff, especially the Parish Supervisors, under the supervision of Sub county supervisors and District Election Administrators to make sure that every voter gets his or her Voter Location Slip.
Nominated Candidates for the 2026 General Elections
Following the conclusion of the nominations, a total of 83,597 candidates were nominated to contest for the 45,505 elective positions (from President to Sub County Councillor).
The nominated candidates were flagged off to conduct campaigns at all level following the guidelines issued by the Commission.
However, in accordance with Section 26 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap 177, the Electoral Commission has appointed Thursday 27th and Friday 28th November 2025, as the dates for conducting fresh nomination in the various electoral areas across the country, where the following candidates passed away.
S/N
Name of Deceased
District
Position contested
Party/ Independent
Electoral Area.
1
Tumwikirize Kaakuba Pagiel
Kassanda
SCTY/ Chairperson
Independent
Manyogaseka Sub-County
2
Kubal Patrick
Kaabong
Male Older Persons Representing Loyoro Sub-county
Loyoro Sub-county
3
Wooti Julius Paul
Bududa
SCTY/ Directly Elected Councillor
NRM
Buwakhata, Bukibokolo Sub-county
4.
Akello Joan
Kwania
District Woman Councillor
NRM
Ayabi Town Council
5.
Sembuzi Gerald
Nakasongola
SCTY/ Directly Elected Councillor
NRM
Kisaalizi, Lwampanga Sub-county
6.
Nagudi Beth
Sironko
SCTY/ Woman Elected Councilor
NRM
Bukiise Sub-county
7.
Mwebaze Racheal
Tororo
SCTY/ Woman Councilor
NRM
Asinget, Kayoro Sub-couty
Please note that the candidates who were previously duly nominated to contest in the affected elective positions at the respective Local Government Councils, shall not be required to undergo nomination again.
Aspiring candidates are advised to obtain nomination forms and guidelines for the respective Local Government Council elective position from their District Electoral Commission offices, or obtain soft copies of the forms and guidelines from the Electoral Commission website: www.ec.or.ug.
Polling Dates for General Elections
Following the conclusion of nomination at all levels, the Commission appointed the polling dates for the various elective positions under the 2026 General Elections.
As a reminder, the following are the dates for the information of the general public.
No.
Elective Position
Polling Date
1.
Elections of the President and Members of Parliament (Directly-elected MP and District Woman Representative to Parliament)
15th January 2026
2.
National Conference for Election of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) Representatives to Parliament
19th January 2026
3.
Election of Councillors representing Special Interest Groups (Youths; Older Persons and PWDs) at Sub County/Town/Municipal Division
19th January 2026
4.
Election of Councillors representing Special Interest Groups (Youths; Older Persons and PWDs) at Municipality/City Division
20th January 2026
5.
National Conference for Election of Workers Representatives to Parliament
21st January 2026
6.
Elections of District Local Government Councils: District/City Chairpersons, Lord Mayor, Mayors, and Councillors
22nd January 2026
7.
Elections of Municipality/City Division Chairpersons and Councillors
27th January 2026
8.
National Conference for Election of National Female Youth Representative to Parliament
28th January 2026
9.
National Conference for Election of National Female Older Persons Representative to Parliament
28th January 2026
10.
Army Council Meeting for Election of UPDF Representatives to Parliament
28th January 2026
11.
Election of Councillors representing Special Interest Groups (Youths; Older Persons, Workers and PWDs) at District/City
29th January 2026
12.
Regional Conference for Election of Older Persons Representatives to Parliament
2nd February 2026
13.
Elections of Sub County/Town/Municipal Division Chairpersons and Councillors
4th February 2026
14.
Regional Conferences for Election of Regional Youths Representatives to Parliament
6th February 2026
We call upon all stakeholders—political parties, candidates, observers, security agencies, civil society, and the electorate—to take note of the respective polling dates and prepare accordingly to participate meaningfully in the elections.
Management of Petitions Arising out of the Nomination Exercise
Handling petitions and complaints are an essential and legitimate part of the electoral process. The Commission received several petitions arising from the recently concluded nomination exercise. In total, the Commission received about 300 petitions and complaints, mostly arising out of the nomination exercise at local government, parliamentary and presidential levels.
Each petition has been carefully reviewed and determined based on:
The law,
The Commission’s constitutional mandate, and
The evidence and merit of each case.
I would like to state that while the number of 300 may appear high, taken out of the total number of over 83,597 nominated candidates for the 45,505 elective positions (from President to Sub County Councillor), it becomes clear that the majority of the nominations were undertaken and concluded without any incidents.
Nonetheless, the Commission remains committed to ensuring fair, just, and timely resolution of all matters submitted before it.
Production of Ballot Papers for the 2026 General Elections
The Electoral Commission procured the services of reputable international and local printing firms below to produce the ballot papers for the 2026 General Elections.
No.
Printing Company
Type of Election
1.
Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing LLC, Dubai UAE
Presidential
Directly-elected Member of Parliament
District Woman Representatives to Parliament
District/City Chairpersons
District/City Directly-elected Councillors
District/City Woman Councillors
2.
UniPrint (SA), Durban, South Africa
Sub County/Town/Municipal Division Chairpersons
3.
Inform Lykos (Hellos), Athens, Greece
Sub-County/Town/Municipal Division Directly-elected Councillors;
Sub-County/Town/Municipal Division Woman Councillors;
4.
Sintel Security, Nairobi, Kenya
Councillors representing Special Interest Groups at the District; City; Municipality; Sub County; Town; Municipal Division; Local Governments
5.
Picfare Industries Ltd, Kampala Uganda
Municipality/City Division Chairpersons and Women Councillors
6.
Graphics Systems Ltd., Kampala, Uganda
Municipality/City Division Directly-Elected Councillors
The production of ballot papers for the various elective positions is currently underway and progressing well.
The Commission advises Political Parties contesting in the Presidential Elections to submit the names of their official agents who will be accredited to witness the delivery of the ballot boxes at the airport, in the case of ballot papers printed out of the country, and delivery at our warehouses, in the case of ballot papers and other election materials printed within the country.
This measure is intended to ensure transparency and stakeholder confidence in the handling of election materials.
Update on Technology to be Deployed During Polling for the 2026 Elections
The Electoral Commission is empowered under the law to adopt and use technology in the Management of Elections. Specifically, S.I. No. 2 of 2021 enjoins the Commission to use technology in the electoral process.
Accordingly, the Commission has procured 109,142 Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) which will be deployed for the 2025/2026 General Elections, as a measure aimed at improving the management and conduct of elections through authentication of voter identity.
Out of these, 60,000 kits have so far been delivered and the balance of 49,142 kits is expected at the end of this month, November 2025.
The BVVK basically uses fingerprints and facial recognition to match voter details which will help the Presiding Officer to confirm the identity of the voter as being the one on the Voters Register of that particular polling station. The system will enable the Commission to ensure that only registered persons vote during the elections and that such persons (voters) do not vote more than once for the same election, hence it will help the Commission achieve the One-Man/Woman-One Vote principle.
Please note that the BVVK was first deployed in the 2016 General Elections; it was improved and used again in the 2021 General Elections. The BVVK has now been further upgraded for the 2026 General Elections. These devices will be deployed to all the 50,739 polling stations to enhance the credibility of the electoral process.
The Commission is currently conducting the exercise for recruitment of 50,739 persons to operate the BVVK machines at each polling station. The Commission is further conducting recruitment of 1,050 persons who will be trainers for the operators.
At the same time, the Commission has commenced training of technical staff who will in turn be trainers of trainers to ensure that there is full knowledge of how to operate the kits by all staff involved.
A stakeholder engagement programme featuring public demonstration of the kit, will commence in the coming days, during which representatives of political parties and candidates; election observers and civil society, the media and general public will be taken through practical rehearsal sessions about how the kits work.
Accreditation of Election Observers and the Media
The Electoral Commission is mandated under Section 16 (1) of the Electoral Commission Act, Cap 176 to accredit any Individual, Group or Institution to act as Election Observers. Accreditation of the Observers will be done both at the Electoral Commission Headquarters and in the districts/cities across Uganda.
All International and National Observers who will be working in Kampala Region, which comprises the districts of Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala City, will be accredited from the Electoral Commission Headquarters, Kampala.
National observers for the rest of the districts will be accredited at the respective City/District Electoral Commission offices by the District Accreditation Committee.
The Commission will accredit national and international election observers and media practitioners who wish to follow and report on the electoral process.
Accreditation is essential for ensuring transparency, professionalism, and orderly conduct during the:
Pre-polling period
Polling days
Vote counting
Results declaration
Post-polling processes
Media houses and observer missions are encouraged to submit their applications early to avoid delays.
Campaign Period for the 2026 General Elections
The campaign period for candidates contesting in the various elective positions is currently underway. The Electoral Commission issued campaign guidelines, which were shared with all political parties, candidates, and stakeholders.
The Commission wishes to appreciate those candidates and their supporters who have complied with the campaign guidelines, particularly by observing the harmonised campaign programme, agreed venues, campaign time and using suitable language. This has enabled the smooth conduct of campaigns in many parts of the country.
We have, however, noted, incidences where some candidates, their agents and supporters have deviated from the guidelines. The following have been reported, and/or observed as some of the particular areas of non-compliance:
Organising processions that violate traffic rules and disrupt trade order in the affected areas, and which has sometimes resulted in avoidable confrontation with law enforcement;
Making impromptu stops and addressing the public in such non-scheduled locations;
Using defamatory words, and language which incites disorder, hatred, threatens violence;
Tearing, removing or defacing candidates’ posters and banners
We strongly condemn acts of violence, hooliganism, and intolerance that have been reported in some areas across the country. We strongly appeal to all candidates, their agents, supporters, and the general public to adhere to lawful and peaceful campaign conduct.
The Commission has established mechanism for receiving and hearing and determining complaints and issues emerging during the campaigns. The Commission has so far held two scheduled meetings with agents of presidential candidates and security to handle and resolve issues of concern during the campaigns.
The Commission will in the coming days convene another of such meeting to take stock of where we are, address emerging issues and agree on the way forward.
I would like to state that the Commission will not hesitate to apply sanctions against any individual or political party/organisation that violates the campaign guidelines or engages in activities that threaten the integrity of the electoral process. We wish to emphasise that compliance with the law remains a shared responsibility of all stakeholders in the electoral process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wish to assure the country that the Electoral Commission remains firmly on course to fulfil its constitutional mandate under Articles 60 and 61 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended), to organise, conduct, and supervise regular, free, fair, and transparent elections and referenda.
A credible electoral process is a shared responsibility. We continue to call upon all stakeholders—political parties, candidates, their agents and supporters, security agencies, civil society, religious leaders, the business community, the media, and the public—to conduct themselves peacefully and in accordance with the law.
As we move towards polling, the Commission remains committed to delivering the 2026 General Elections in a transparent, timely, inclusive and credible manner. We will continue to share timely updates as the electoral programme progresses, and we urge all Ugandans to uphold peace, respect and lawful participation throughout the entire electoral cycle.
