EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama during a media engagement meeting/ Photo by EC media team
The Electoral Commission says the number of eligible voters in Uganda is expected to reach a record 22 million at the 2026 general election.
The Electoral Commission has revealed that there will be four million voters compared to the last general election. The biggest majority of the voters will be those in the youthful population age. Uganda has up to 50.5 percent of its population below 17 years, according to UBOS 2024.
While releasing the revised roadmap of the 2026 general elections, the EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said eligible voters could even soar to 24 million.
He adds that this increment explains the swelling budget of the election exercise every time it is held. By the EC standards, 900 voters are attached to polling stations in rural areas and 1000 to 1200 in urban centers.
The soaring fuel prices, according to Byabakama, also have a bearing on the new budget structure, because the commission’s work requires a lot of mobility, hence high fuel consumption. He said the Commission’s budget would swell further if fuel prices went up.
Byabakama noted that the delayed enactment of electoral reforms grossly affects the election cycle and the quality.
“As a commission, our expectation is that any reforms in electoral laws should come well in time, at least two years before the polling process, to enable us to actualize and implement these reforms within the roadmap activities. Because when they come after, they negatively impact us, so we appeal to the relevant organs of the state to consider this. To avoid the repetition of processes, even the new electoral areas need to be created in time,” he stated.
Byabakama also urged the media to champion the demand for a law that restricts electoral financing from political actors, because it was a resolution by the national consultative forum towards the 2021 general election.
However, he said that aspiration has not come to fruition because its Bill flopped in parliament. He adds that the aspects of financing need attention because it keeps many people, especially the youth, out of elective politics.
The commission chairperson, who preached peace and tolerance before, during, and after elections, says elections are not a do-or-die affair, and there is supposed to be a winner and a loser; not everyone can win. “This process is about choosing our leaders, and it should unite the nation rather than dividing us,” he said.
Regarding security organizations taking over the election process, Byabakama highlighted that security is highly needed based on the kind of elections held in Uganda where people treat it as a matter of life and death.
“To have a free and fair election, we need to have security around. Many people behave in an unbecoming manner that threatens the existence of others and the nation. As Ugandans, we need to have dialogue over some of the activities in our country,” he said.
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