KAMPALA Uganda — The National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) has raised the alarm over a growing trend of individuals falsely claiming disability status to contest for political positions reserved for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the upcoming 2026 general elections.
This follows the release of the electoral roadmap by the Electoral Commission, prompting political parties to begin fielding candidates at various levels. However, NUDIPU has reported that in districts such as Luwero, Kibale, Hoima, and Kayunga, individuals without disabilities are masquerading as PWDs to exploit affirmative action slots.
Ms. Esther Kyozira, Chief Executive Officer of NUDIPU, addressed the media on Wednesday, highlighting the troubling rise in such cases.
“There are people who are physically strong, they can walk and run, yet they claim to be disabled. Unfortunately, returning officers are ignoring complaints from genuine PWDs, questioning their authority to determine another person’s disability,” Kyozira stated.
She expressed concern that local disability representatives are unable to challenge these imposters, prompting many to escalate their grievances to NUDIPU for intervention.
Kyozira called on the Electoral Commission to rigorously screen all candidates seeking to contest under the PWDs electoral colleges. “We are seeing people pretending to have various disabilities just to benefit politically. This undermines the purpose of PWD representation,” she said.
She emphasized that Uganda’s Persons with Disabilities Act clearly defines disability categories, including physical disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, amputations, and paralysis), hearing impairments (deaf and hard-of-hearing), visual impairments (totally blind and low vision), deafblindness, mental and psychosocial disabilities, and conditions affecting little people and persons with albinism.
According to the 2024 national census, these groups collectively represent 13.2% of Uganda’s population.
Kyozira noted that both within the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries and the broader Electoral Commission processes, individuals without disabilities are infiltrating PWD slots.
“Our appeal to the Electoral Commission and political parties is simple: screen all candidates claiming disability before confirming them as nominees or delegates. This is not currently happening,” she asserted.
NUDIPU has urged the Electoral Commission to collaborate with them in verifying disability claims to safeguard political representation meant for genuine PWDs.
“If non-disabled individuals continue to occupy spaces meant for us, then we are not empowering persons with disabilities to speak for their own issues. That’s why we have come out strongly today,” Kyozira concluded.
