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The nomination exercise for presidential candidates of the 2026 General elections has been concluded today by the Electoral Commission with only 8 presidential candidates. All these will move across the country explaining their manifestos to Ugandans who will choose their next president in the second week of January 2026.
In the weeks preceding to this nomination, over 200 Ugandans picked nomination forms, 38 returned them with signatures collected from different districts as required by law but only 8 met the criteria of 98,000 signatures from atleast 98 districts in Uganda.
Notable among those left out is Ecological Party of Uganda’s party president Muhammed Nsereko, UPC’s Jimmy Akena whom the Electoral Commission declined to nominate over leadership wrangles in his party while Norbert Mao despite picking nomination forms has decided to back president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni just like he did in 2016 when he backed Amama Mbabazi.
Over 20 independent candidates who had camped at the Electoral Commission trying to fix the signature hustle have been left out including John Katumba famously known as Katumba Oyee and Nancy Kalembe who was the only woman in the race for presidency in 2021.
The incumbent president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is seeking a 7th term to extend his grip to power to 45 years and is running a campaign manifesto under the theme Protecting The Gains while his closest challenger in the last Election Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of NUP is also giving it a shot for the second under a campaign theme dubbed Protest Vote.
Other candidates nominated include former Kawempe South legislator Mubarak Munyagwa who after quitting FDC formed his own political party named Common Man’s Party, Alliance for National Transformation (ANT’s) RTD Maj Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC’s) Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Robert Kasibante of the National Peasant’s party, Eng Elton Joseph Mabirizi of Conservative Party and Bulira Frank Kabinga of Revolutionary People’s party.
The battle lines are now drawn between 8 candidates, all representing political parties. The other difference about this election from the previous one’s is that they’re no independent presidential candidates and no woman presidential candidate.
In the previous from 2006 to 2021, there have always been atleast a woman presidential candidate with UPC’s Miria Kalule Obote challenging Museveni in 2006, Betty Kamya also challenged her now boss on the Uganda Federal Alliance ticket in 2011 while Maureen Kyalya Walube also challenge Museveni in 2016 and Nancy Kalembe also giving it a try in 2021.
It’s now a presidential race without independent candidates and without a woman presidential candidate. By and large, we might see a 2021 repeat with the battle might be between Museveni, Bobi Wine, Mugisha Muntu and Nandala Mafabi.
The of the nominated candidates are challenging Museveni of the 2nd time while the other four are first time presidential candidates. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and Mugisha Muntu vied in 2021 while Eng Elton Joseph Mabirizi vied in 2016.
#PresidentialNominations for the 2025/2026 General Elections
The Electoral Commission has concluded the Presidential Nominations held on 23rd and 24th September 2025 at the EC grounds in Lweza – Lubowa, Wakiso District.
On Day 1, the following candidates were duly nominated:… pic.twitter.com/baG1tGxwFo
— The Electoral Commission – Uganda (@UgandaEC) September 24, 2025
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