The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that only NRM’s Yoweri Museveni and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Nandala Mafabi have so far met the requirements for nomination in the 2026 presidential race.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 20, EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi revealed that by Friday, September 19, 27 out of 38 presidential aspirants had submitted lists of supporters for verification. However, only two — Museveni and Mafabi — had fully satisfied the legal thresholds for nomination.
“Out of the 27, two aspirants had met the required supporter numbers, while the others were at various levels of compliance,” said Mucunguzi.
According to Section 10(1b) of the Presidential Elections Act, a presidential aspirant must present at least 100 registered voters from not less than two-thirds of all districts in Uganda — translating to a minimum of 9,800 supporters drawn from at least 98 districts.
Mucunguzi noted that the verification process for the remaining aspirants is ongoing, and further updates will be communicated in due course.
The EC also warned against multiple endorsements by voters, which is prohibited by law. Offenders face a penalty of 24 currency points (equivalent to shs480,000), imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
“The Commission remains committed to ensuring that the nomination exercise of presidential candidates and all other elective positions is conducted in full compliance with the relevant electoral laws,” Mucunguzi emphasized.
The EC has scheduled September 23 and 24, 2025, as the official nomination dates for presidential candidates. The exercise will take place at the Commission’s new headquarters in Lubowa, Kampala.
