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Citizen Posts
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The Electoral Commission yesterday commenced the nomination of Presidential candidates for the forth coming General elections happening on 14th January 2026. Over 200 Ugandans picked nomination papers but only 38 returned the nomination papers with signatures of nominators from atleast 98 districts in Uganda as required by law.
The commission by Sunday 21st September had only cleared two aspirants; Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is also the incumbent for the last 40 years and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Nathan Nandala Mafabi and the rest of the aspirants had been informed they fell short of the required number of signatures.
In the last minute hustle to gather the remaining signatures, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of National Unity Platform (NUP), RTD Maj Gen Gregory Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Robert Kasibante of National Peasants Party (NPP) and Eng Elton Joseph Mabirizi of Conservative Party (CP) managed to beat the deadline and secure nomination dates.
The Justice Simon Byabakama yesterday nominated President Yoweri Museveni, Eng Elton Joseph Mabirizi and Robert Kasibante. The Commission has today by 3:10pm nominated Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Mugisha Muntu and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine.
Unlike for Kasibante and Nandala Mafabi, the rest of the nominated presidential candidates are contesting against Museveni for the 2nd time. Eng Elton Joseph Mabirizi contested in 2016 and was an independent candidate using the ball as his symbol, he didn’t contest in 2021. This time round he has returned on Conservative Party ticket.
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu contested in 2021 on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket and was the second with over 3.5m votes while Gen Mungisha Muntu also contested on the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party ticket in 2021 and was the fourth with 67574 votes (0.65%).
The commission is yet to confirm other aspirants since today is the last day of presidential nominations but in his pre-nomination address on Monday evening, the Chairperson of Electoral Commission Justice Simon Byabakama indicated that if they’re other confirmed candidates by close of business today, the commission may consider and extension for those who would have met the criteria.
If nothing changes as of now, the battle of presidency will have only 6 candidates all on party tickets and the first time without a female presidential candidate since 2006. Miria Kalule Obote contested in 2006, Betty Kamya Contested in 2011, Maureen Kyaalya contested in 2016 and Nancy Kalembe contested in 2021.
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