By KT Reporter
The Electoral Commission (EC) has revealed that out of 27 presidential aspirants whose supporter forms have been verified, only three have fully met the legal requirements, an those who are short, have since been notified. This comes up only two days to the presidential candidate nomination.
According to a media statement by the Commission today, 38 aspirants had submitted lists of supporters by Friday, September 19, 2025, out of which the 27 have been scrutinized and notified of the status of their submissions. Ahead of next year’s general elections, over 100 aspirants picked application form to run for the country’s top seat.
The Presidential Elections Act requires every aspirant to present at least 100 supporters from at least two-thirds of the country’s districts. With 147 districts, this translates to a minimum of 9,800 supporters drawn from 98 districts.
Supporters must provide their names, signatures, voter registration numbers, and physical addresses to prove that they are genuine voters. The law also bars any voter from endorsing more than one candidate. Anyone who does so risks a fine of UGX 480,000, a prison sentence of up to one year, or both.
With only 38 who have returned supporter forms and 2 having succeeded, it means the biggest number is still struggling to meet the required number of valid supporters, while the remaining aspirants are awaiting feedback as the verification process continues.
Julius Mucunguzi, the Electoral Commission spokesperson, says “These three include the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and Joseph Male Mabirizi an independent candidate.”
According to him, the verification of supporters is a careful process that ensures fairness and compliance with the law. “This exercise is not a formality. It is a legal requirement that must be met before anyone can be nominated as a presidential candidate,” Mucunguzi explained.
He adds that the supporter verification stage is a major test for presidential hopefuls. It separates aspirants with genuine, nationwide backing from those with limited or localized support.
In past elections, many who declared interest in the presidency failed to progress because their lists either fell short of the required numbers or were invalidated due to repeated signatures. For example, in the 2021 elections, more than 80 aspirants expressed interest, but only 11 managed to appear on the ballot after meeting the conditions.
Mucunguzi reminded aspirants that official nominations for presidential candidates will take place on September 23 and 24, 2025, at the Commission headquarters in Lweza-Lubowa, Makindye Ssabagabo. “Those who fail to meet the supporter requirement will not be allowed to submit their nomination papers, he cautioned.”
He underscores that the Commission remains committed to conducting the process in line with the law and in a transparent manner, and As the deadline nears, majority of the aspirants now to work with in the remaining time to satisfy this strict legal requirement. “The commission stop receiving supporter form submission only when nomination are closed, and we only have two days of nomination,” he noted.
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