By KT Reporter
The Electoral Commission has received the first consignment of parliamentary ballot papers ahead of the 2026 General Elections.
Speaking to journalists at Entebbe International Airport on Christmas Day, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama, confirmed the arrival of the first consignment of parliamentary ballot papers, including those for Directly Elected Members of Parliament, Constituency MPs, and District Woman Members of Parliament.
A total of 218 pallets were received, following the delivery of 193 pallets of presidential ballot papers that arrived a day earlier.Justice Byabakama said the ballot papers will immediately be transported under tight security to Electoral Commission warehouses for safe custody, just like those of the presidential candidates which arrived last night.
“In total, we are handling about 421 pallets so far, and tomorrow we expect an additional 221 pallets to arrive from Dubai,” Byabakama said.He explained that the printing, delivery, and transportation of the ballot papers have been closely supervised by the Commission, including commissioners and technical staff, to ensure quality and accountability throughout the process.“I want to commend my team, the commissioners and technical staff, as well as the printers, for the good work done. We are satisfied that quality ballot papers have been delivered,” he noted.
Byabakama also disclosed that more than 2,000 parliamentary candidates are contesting in the forthcoming parliamentary positions alone, underscoring the scale and complexity of the exercise.
As the country heads into an intensive election period, the Electoral Commission chairperson also appealed to Ugandans to maintain peace, lawfulness, and good conduct.
“We are approaching the general elections, and campaigns are ongoing. I want to appeal to all Ugandans to maintain peace, observe the law, use civil language, and be tolerant,” said Byabakama.He emphasized that peace is the foundation upon which the electoral process and national development depend.“If we destabilize the peace we have, then all the plans we are making will not succeed. Let us maintain peace because it is the foundation of everything this country stands for,” Byabakama added.According to Byabakama, political party representatives had been invited to witness the receipt of the ballot papers as part of the Commission’s commitment to transparency, and he thanked the media for keeping the public informed.
However, today only the representative of the Alliance for National Transformation political party, Nelson Agaba, showed up.Yesterday, other parties had representatives present, including the NRM party and the National Peasants Party.
The ballot papers were printed by a Dubai-based firm, Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing Company, and on Thursday arrived aboard a privately chartered cargo aircraft operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic for the Network Aviation Group.
The specific aircraft, registration TF-AKE, arrived at around 5:00 pm, and offloading started immediately after the Chairperson and representatives of political parties arrived.The ballot papers were then loaded onto trucks that had earlier arrived in a heavily guarded convoy of Counter Terrorism police officers.Records indicate that Uganda has 21.6 million registered voters and more than 50,000 polling stations.
The delivery of parliamentary and presidential ballot papers now leaves only local government ballot papers yet to arrive in the country. The Commission chairperson explained that these will be printed in Kenya, Greece, South Africa, among other countries.
Local government polls for councillors, mayors, and LC5 chairpersons will be conducted after the parliamentary and presidential polls scheduled for mid next month.
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