Julius Mucunguzi, the spokesperson for the Electoral Commission (EC), has defended the commission’s expenditure on nomination stationery for presidential aspirants ahead of the 2026 elections.
Speaking to Bbeg Media at the commission’s offices on 7th Street, Industrial Area, Kampala, Mucunguzi emphasized the significant costs involved.
“We have spent considerable funds on preparing nomination papers for presidential aspirants who will be nominated as candidates for the 2026 elections. This is why Parliament needs to prioritize our budget approvals when we present our requests,” Mucunguzi stated.
He noted that he could not provide the exact amount spent on printing the nomination stationery, which includes the commission’s roadmap for the 2026 elections, electoral guidelines for presidential elections, and nomination forms to be filled and signed by supporters in at least 98 districts of Uganda, representing two-thirds of the country’s districts as required by the Presidential Elections Act.
Regarding the number of aspirants, Mucunguzi revealed that 132 individuals, including men, women, and representatives from political parties like Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), National Resistance Movement (NRM), and Uganda Economic Party (soon to be renamed the Common Man’s Party), have collected nomination forms.
Some presidential aspirants highlighted poor service delivery under the incumbent NRM leader, President Museveni, and appealed to Ugandans to trust them to provide alternative leadership.
They promised to tackle corruption, uphold the rule of law, address gender-based violence, promote economic growth, and steer the country toward development.
“We are presenting ourselves to Ugandans to restructure governance and address the political, economic, and social challenges that have not been resolved,” one aspirant stated.
However, some aspirants were turned away for failing to meet the commission’s requirements.
By law, every presidential aspirant must present a national ID, certified copies of A-level academic documents or their equivalent, and fulfill other eligibility criteria outlined in the Presidential Elections Act. Some aspirants have nit been able to comply with these requirements.
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