By KT Reporter
Hundreds of National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters flocked their party headquarters at Makerere Kavule to submit signatures in support of the candidacy of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, their party flag-bearer.
The Electoral Commission Chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama on Friday revealed that the signatures presented by NUP for Kyagulanyi’s nomination were not sufficient as required by the Presidential Elections Act.
In response to the Electoral Commission revelation, NUP set up a desk on Saturday at its party headquarters where supporters from the districts listed by the Electoral Commission as having insufficient signatures have been signing to support Kyagulanyi’s nomination to run for the the upcoming presidential election campaign
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, speaking to journalists, expressed disappointment with the Electoral Commission, accusing it of attempting to block their presidential candidate Kyagulanyi from contesting the 2026 general election.
Rubongoya demanded that the Electoral Commission provide a detailed report outlining the reasons why they rejected signatures from those areas.
Rubongoya further stated that during the initial collection process, they submitted signatures from 132 districts in excess of the requirement, and questioned why the Electoral Commission is now appearing biased even before the elections start. He also challenged the validity of signatures submitted by President Yoweri Museveni, recalling that in previous elections, some of the signatures presented were later found to be invalid.
One of the supporters who came to support Kyagulanyi’s candidacy was Mary Flavia Namulindwa, a Member of Parliament aspirant for Gomba district.
Namulindwa accused the Electoral Commission of trying to create an impression that Kyagulanyi lacks support even from districts as near to Kampala as Gomba.
Aida Nakuya, also aspiring to be the NUP candidate for Gomba woman Member of Parliament said it is impossible for Kyagulanyi to fail to gather the required signatures from Gomba, where in the 2021 presidential election, he defeated President Museveni.
According to the Presidential Election Act, an aspirant must collect at least 100 signatures of registered voters from two thirds of the districts in Uganda. Currently, the country has got 146 districts.
This means that an aspirant must submit at least 100 signatures from 98 districts. The Electoral Commission has gazetted Tuesday and Wednesday next week as the days to nominate presidential candidates. At least 18 people out of the over 200 people who picked nomination papers have returned them.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
