By KT Reporter
The Electoral Commission (EC) has reiterated that only written complaints submitted through formal channels will be addressed in response to concerns raised by unsuccessful presidential aspirants following the recent nomination exercise.
In an interview with Uganda Radio Network (URN), the electoral body’s spokesperson, Julius Mucunguzi clarified that while several aspirants have expressed dissatisfaction with the nomination process, public statements made through social media, press conferences, or other informal platforms hold no legal weight under Ugandan electoral law.
“What the law says is that any registered voter who is dissatisfied about any stage of the electoral process, including nominations, is welcome to bring that complaint to the Commission in writing, not on social media, at a press conference, at church, or any other fora,” Mucunguzi stated.
He added that out of more than 220 Ugandans who picked up presidential nomination forms, only 41 returned them with signatures from the electorate. Of those, just eight were successfully nominated.
Mucunguzi explained that all aspirants who submitted their nomination forms but were not nominated received official reports detailing the outcome of the signature verification exercise.
“Those who brought their forms, with signatures and were not successful, the Commission replied to them… each of them got a report about their status on the signature verification,” he explained.
He emphasized that the Electoral Commission does not have a mandate to track down aspirants who did not follow through with the process or failed to submit written complaints.
“The Electoral Commission is not going to put up an announcement to look for the 225… to say, ‘you picked forms, what happened?’ They should take it upon themselves to explain to Ugandans what happened,” Mucunguzi noted.
While declining to name aspirants who have formally complained, Mucunguzi affirmed that the Electoral Commission had already received and heard some cases and will respond to others in due course.
“I cannot give you names… because when they wrote to the Commission, they did not copy the press. But I can tell you that the Commission has responded to some of them, and those who have not been responded to, they can be sure that the Commission will hear their complaints,” he said.
He concluded by encouraging anyone dissatisfied with any part of the nomination or verification process to submit their grievances in writing to ensure they are officially addressed.
The Electoral Commission conducted the nomination of presidential candidates on 23rd and 24th September 2025.
Seven candidates were successfully nominated to contest against the incumbent President Museveni in the January 2026 general elections.
Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Gregory Mugisha Muntu for Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Robert Kyagulanyi of National Unity Platform (NUP) and Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga, the Common Man’s Party candidate was nominated on 24th September.
On the same day, the eighth and final aspirant, Bulira Frank Kabinga of the Revolutionary Peoples Party, was declared a candidate after fulfilling the requirements of the Presidential Elections Act.
On the first day of nomination, Museveni from the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Joseph Mabirizi (Conservative Party), and Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants’ Party (NPP) were cleared.
However, before the closure of official nominations and a week into the presidential campaigns, several aspirants who missed out on nominations have been seen in the media complaining about the signature verification exercise, with some appealing for the reopening of the nomination exercise.
Some of these are former presidential candidate John Katumba, Muhammad Nsereko, Joseph Kabuleta, Steven Eric Keddi Zuluba, Alvin Mivule among others.
The approval of aspirants by the Electoral Commission was based on supporter signatures as required under Section 10 (1) (b) and (3) of the Presidential Elections Act, Cap 177, which demands at least 100 verified signatures from 98 districts across the country.
Some of the aspirants had earlier been asked by the EC to “top up” on signatures flagged during the verification process.
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