Atleast 51 polticians have picked forms to contest for uganda presidential elections in 2026.
Out of the total six are female and 46 are male with majority youth according to Paul Bukenya Deputy Communication Manager at Electoral Commission.
Bukenya says gives hope to the country that young people are interested in leadership and management of the countrys democracy.
The race to Uganda’s 2026 general elections officially begun today with the Electoral Commission (EC) opening nominations for candidates starting at the very top of the political ladder.
From today August 11 to August 24, presidential hopefuls will have the opportunity to collect supporter forms, nomination forms, and detailed nomination guidelines, according to EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi.
“The supporter forms will enable aspirants to collect signatures from at least 100 registered voters in at least two-thirds of Uganda’s districts equivalent to 98 districts as required by electoral law,” Mucunguzi explained in a statement. “These supporters must be registered voters in the districts where they endorse a candidate.”
The nomination forms will capture candidate particulars, while the accompanying guidelines spell out the requirements for a valid nomination.
In the parliamentary race, aspirants — including those for special interest group seats can now download their forms and guidelines directly from the EC website.
Aspirants for district and city chairperson positions will also access their forms online, while those running for local government councillor seats will obtain theirs from EC district offices.
Mucunguzi has called on all political hopefuls to carefully study the nomination guidelines to avoid disqualification.
He further announced that parliamentary nominations, initially slated for September, have been rescheduled to October 15 and 16, while the rest of the nomination dates remain unchanged.
With the nomination window now open, the stage is set for Uganda’s political contenders to begin the long road to 2026.