Uganda’s 2026 General Elections costed taxpayers a record UGX 1.146 trillion, according to a new report published by the Electoral Commission (EC) on October 29, 2026.
This marks a massive 64% increase from the UGX 698.66 billion spent during the 2021 election cycle.
The single largest driver of this budget was the acquisition of the Biometric Voter Verification System (BVVS), which cost UGX 262.55 billion.
The EC explained that the mandatory implementation of the BVVS required polling stations to be split up so that no single station handled more than 600 voters. This restriction triggered a domino effect, sharply increasing the need for more election materials, extra equipment, and the recruitment, training, and deployment of additional polling officials.
Over the last 30 years, Uganda’s election spending has grown exponentially:
- 1996: UGX 18.11 billion
- 2001: UGX 33.83 billion
- 2006: UGX 67.01 billion
- 2011: UGX 299.53 billion
- 2016: UGX 476.58 billion
- 2021: UGX 698.66 billion
- 2026: UGX 1.146 trillion
Beyond technology, the EC attributed the long-term rise in spending to a growing voting population, an increase in administrative districts, continuous legal reforms, and macroeconomic pressures like rising fuel prices.
The 2026 elections were entirely funded by the government through the Consolidated Fund. While the EC requested UGX 1.138 trillion, the government actually released UGX 1.308 trillion, leaving the EC with an underspend of its total allocated cash after utilizing UGX 1.146 trillion.
The election roadmap faced significant early hurdles when the government failed to release the expected UGX 195.96 billion during the 2023/24 financial year. This created a severe cash crunch, forcing a massive budget backlog into FY 2024/25.
To steady the ship, the EC rescheduled key activities. The financial strain was ultimately resolved in FY 2025/26 when the government released a final tranche of UGX 919.69 billion—which included a critical UGX 469.5 billion supplementary budget to cover the BVVS rollout and polling station splits.
The EC highlighted social media as a crucial tool for voter education, successfully reaching a younger demographic. By the close of the election cycle, the commission’s TikTok account grew to 75,700 followers, while its X (formerly Twitter) platform recorded over 4.6 million impressions and 81,588 engagements.
In terms of political participation, 2,735 candidates were officially nominated to run. The race for Parliament drew the highest level of competition, with 2,006 individuals contesting as Directly Elected Members of Parliament.
In the report’s foreword, EC Chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama lauded the cycle as a major milestone that reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to democratic participation, transparency, and peaceful constitutional governance.
