Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission Chairperson
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Electoral Commission has set the ground for the 2025/2026 General Elections by releasing the revised summary of the roadmap for the forthcoming elections.
The roadmap indicates that the first half of this year will be an intense electioneering period as different political parties arrive at candidates through either primaries or by consensus.
It also revealed that the second phase of the electoral process will get underway after nominations. This will feature the actual voting and announcement of winners between January and February next year.
According to a recently issued press statement, the first set of candidates, special interest groups, older persons, persons with disability and youth for sub-county and town/municipal divisions, will be nominated between July 14-15.
“Nomination of candidates for parliamentary elections, in line with Section 9 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, are scheduled between September 16-17, pending presidential nominations between October 2-3, 2025,” further reads the statement, issued by Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission’s chairperson.
He further said that in the fulfillment of the election laws, the EC has provided that all civil servants intending to run for political offices in 2025/2026 should resign prior to nominations.
Rose Namayanja, the Deputy NRM party Secretary General greets the voters
“In this regard, the deadline for the resignation of public servants intending to contest for parliamentary and presidential elections is June 13 and October 1, 2025, respectively,” he said.
Additionally, civil servants aspiring to run for local government political offices, the roadmap provides that they resign before August 2.
The season will climax into presidential, parliamentary and local government councils (district, city, divisions, sub county and town councils) elections, which will be held between January 12 and February 9, 2026.
In line with the EC revised roadmap, political parties are finalising processes to choose candidates before mid-July 2025, when the first set of nominations will happen.
Rose Namayanja, the deputy NRM party secretary general, said the secretariat is ready with the draft of the internal elections’ roadmap, with the ultimate aim to retain power in 2026.
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobby Wine the NUP boss (L) and Lewis Rubongoya, the Secretary General
“We are more than ready to win the 2026 general elections. Our opponents are weak and divided and cannot organize a united front to unseat this Government,” she said in a recent interview.
She said that they have embarked on digitizing their voter’s register after updating their members’ Yellow Book register.
Namayanja said that shall have the election of party structures in the early quarter of this year, on dates that will soon be communicated.
“We will hold our party primaries a little later this year. Come July this year, we would be done with the primaries and have all our candidates declared. We will field candidates in all positions,” she said.
She confirmed that President Yoweri Museveni will be their presidential flag bearer in 2026.
NUP promises formidable opposition
Lewis Rubongoya, the National Unity Platform (NUP) secretary general confirmed that the process of organising their internal polls in on.
He said they are ready to participate in the general elections next year, and will field candidates in majority of positions.
“We are confident we can win, especially if huddles laid before us in the past are removed,” he said.
Mukasa Mbidde, the Democratic Party deputy president general, announced that Uganda’s oldest political party will soldier on and probably enter into alliance with other parties in the opposition.
Mukasa Mbidde, the Democratic Party Deputy President General
After the announcement made by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), which has a huge youth following that they will support Museveni’s candidature come 2026, his [Museveni’s] win is all but certain.
PLU, which is under the Chief of the Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has in several social media posts vowed to crush the opposition, starting with Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobby Wine.
