Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) has taken delivery of 631 pallets of ballot papers for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, marking a major logistical milestone ahead of the 2026 General Elections.
Speaking to the media at Entebbe International Airport, EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the ballot papers arrived in three separate consignments aboard a chartered Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic.
The first consignment, containing 193 pallets of Presidential ballot papers, landed on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 8:22pm A second batch of 218 pallets arrived on Christmas Day at 5:01pm. The final consignment, comprising 220 pallets, touched down on Friday, December 26, at 9:30pm.
According to EC Senior Election Officer Richard Nsuube, the third shipment included 184 pallets for District Woman Representatives, 24 pallets for District Woman Councillors, and 12 pallets for directly elected Members of Parliament.
Justice Byabakama was accompanied by Acting EC Secretary Richard Baabo Kamugisha, Deputy Chairperson Hajjat Aisha Lubega, and Commissioners Peter Emorut, Stephen Tashobya, Dr. Kayunga Sallie Simba, Anthony Okello, and Caroline Bright Beinamaryo.
Kamugisha revealed that the Presidential and Parliamentary ballots were printed by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing in Dubai. Byabakama said the ballot papers were packaged using high-quality, tamper-resistant materials and clearly labeled by Uganda’s 146 districts to ensure secure storage and efficient nationwide distribution.
Under heavy security deployment, the consignments were offloaded using forklifts and transported on 15 trucks to EC warehouses in Kyambogo, a Kampala suburb. The ballot papers will remain in secure storage until they are dispatched to polling stations across the country.
The EC printed ballots in excess of Uganda’s 21,681,491 registered voters to accommodate any spoiled ballots on polling day. The country currently operates 50,739 polling stations nationwide.
Justice Byabakama further announced that additional ballot papers for local government elections are expected to arrive on January 3 and January 5, 2026. These were printed by firms in Kenya, South Africa, Greece, as well as locally in Uganda.
EC Deputy Spokesperson Paul Bukenya clarified that ballot papers for Special Interest Group (SIG) elections—including Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Workers, Older Persons, and representatives of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, are printed domestically. SIG representatives are elected through electoral colleges.
Representatives from various political parties were present at the cargo terminal to witness the arrival of the ballots.
However, concerns were raised over transparency.
Nelson Agaba, representing Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential aspirant Gen. Mugisha Muntu, said the EC had not provided political actors with detailed packing lists for independent verification.
Bruce Muhangi also criticized the EC for declining political parties’ offers to observe the ballot printing process abroad, describing the decision as a missed opportunity to strengthen public confidence.
Justice Byabakama reaffirmed that Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including those for directly elected MPs and District Woman Representatives, will be held on January 15, 2026.
As of December 2025, Uganda has 21,681,491 registered voters spread across 146 districts, 312 counties, 353 constituencies, 2,191 sub-counties, towns and municipal divisions, 10,717 parishes, and 71,214 villages, according to the Electoral Commission.
