The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially unveiled the long-awaited roadmap for the election of Village (LC I), Parish (LC II) and Women Councils and Committees, setting the stage for Uganda’s first grassroots leadership elections in several years.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi announced that the electoral programme will begin on July 6 with the verification and registration of village residents and conclude with the election of Parish (LC II) Chairpersons on August 10, 2026.
The announcement comes after years of extending the tenure of Local Council leaders through legislative interventions by Parliament to avert a leadership vacuum following successive postponements of the elections, largely due to inadequate funding.
“We know this programme has been long-awaited, and we thank Ugandans for the patience they have exhibited. Government has now provided the necessary funding, enabling the Commission to fulfil its constitutional mandate,” Justice Byabakama said.
The exercise will cover 71,214 villages across the country, with each village serving as a polling station during the LC I elections. Under the programme, residents aged 18 years and above who wish to participate in the elections will register between July 6 and July 10. The Village General Register and Village Women’s Register will then be displayed for public verification from July 13 to July 14.
The Commission has urged citizens to scrutinise the registers and report the names of deceased persons, minors, non-citizens and individuals who no longer reside in their respective villages in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
According to the roadmap, nominations for candidates seeking election as Village LC I Chairpersons and members of Village Women Committees will take place from July 15 to July 19, followed by campaign activities beginning on July 20.
Village Women Committees will be elected on July 23, while elections for Village LC I Chairpersons are scheduled for July 28. As in previous village elections, voting will be conducted through the open queue system, commonly known as “lining up,” where voters stand behind their preferred candidates, their agents, portraits or symbols.
The method is provided for under Section 123(2) of the Local Governments Act, Cap. 243, for Village Chairperson elections and Section 11(2) of the National Women Councils Act, Cap. 113, for Village Women Committee elections.
Following the declaration of results, elected LC I Chairpersons will immediately nominate six members to the Village Executive Committee, subject to approval by the Village Council through a show of hands. Representatives of women, youth, persons with disabilities and older persons will automatically become members of the executive by virtue of holding leadership positions within their respective special interest groups.
The Commission has retained relatively low barriers to participation in the elections. Candidates for both the LC I Chairperson and Women’s Committee positions will not be required to possess academic qualifications or pay nomination fees. However, they must be Ugandan citizens aged at least 18 years, registered in their respective village registers and ordinarily resident in the villages where they intend to contest.
Unlike the elections for Village Women Committees, which are non-partisan, elections for LC I Chairpersons will be conducted under Uganda’s multiparty political system. The Commission has therefore urged political parties to organise their internal processes and identify flag bearers early.
The electoral roadmap is anchored in Article 61 of the Constitution of Uganda, which mandates the Electoral Commission to organise and supervise regular elections, as well as the Local Governments Act and the National Women Councils Act, which govern the establishment and election of grassroots administrative and women’s leadership structures-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
