KAMPALA, Uganda: The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Justice Simon Byabakama, has announced that the deregistration of candidates will continue up to the end of polling day should any valid complaint arise warranting the cancellation of a candidate’s nomination, as provided for under Uganda’s electoral laws.
Justice Byabakama made the remarks on 8 January 2026 during the flag-off ceremony for a fleet of vehicles transporting essential election materials to various districts ahead of Polling Day scheduled for 15 January 2026.
The brief ceremony was held at the EC warehouses located in the Ntinda Industrial Complex, Nakawa Division, and was attended by senior EC officials, security personnel, and members of the media.
His statement followed a question from journalists seeking clarification on the deadline for receiving and hearing election petitions. The media wanted to know when the Commission would dispose of pending cases and close the window for filing electoral complaints.
Justice Byabakama reiterated that the Commission will continue to receive and hear petitions from any aggrieved citizens until the conclusion of official polling day activities on 15 January 2026, in accordance with the law.
He further noted that the Commission has put in place mechanisms to promptly inform voters nationwide in the event of a candidate’s sudden disqualification, regardless of whether the candidate’s name appears on the ballot paper.
“We are going to engage all media houses across the country to sensitise the public about the new digitised voting system, particularly the use of the Biometric Voter Verification Machine, so that voters fully understand the new voting process,” Byabakama said.
He added that presiding officers at polling stations will be required to openly declare results immediately after vote tallying. The results will then be electronically transmitted to district tally centres, where returning officers will declare winners for District Woman Members of Parliament and Constituency Members of Parliament, before forwarding presidential results to the national tally centre.
During the ceremony, Justice Byabakama officially flagged off trucks carrying election materials to 12 districts. He noted that materials for an additional 51 districts are ready for dispatch, while distribution to the remaining districts will be completed by Sunday, 10 January 2026.
