KAMPALA
The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially unveiled the roadmap for the long-awaited Administrative Units Elections covering Village Local Council I (LC I) and Parish/Ward Local Council II (LC II), setting in motion one of Uganda's largest grassroots democratic exercises.
In a press statement dated 22 June 2026, the Commission announced a detailed programme that will guide the recruitment of election officials, voter verification, nominations, campaigns, and polling across the country.
The release of the election programme comes shortly after the government injected over Shs56 billion into the Electoral Commission to facilitate the conduct of the elections nationwide, ending months of uncertainty over funding.
Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama said the Commission had long completed its preparations and was only waiting for the release of funds.
"It's the issue of money that has been holding us back. But we shall fix the dates within less than a week because we got ready a long time ago," Justice Byabakama said.
He added that the Commission is now ready to roll out the electoral activities and urged all stakeholders to participate in accordance with the election guidelines.
According to the roadmap, activities at the village level will begin with the recruitment of supervisors and village election officials before progressing to voter verification, nominations, campaigns, and polling.
At the Village (LC I) level, recruitment of village election officials will run from 22 June to 1 July 2026, followed by training, verification of residents, and compilation of village voters' registers from 6 to 10 July 2026.
The Commission will issue nomination forms to aspiring candidates between 9 and 14 July, while the nomination of candidates for Village LC I Chairperson positions will take place from 15 to 19 July 2026.
Campaigns for LC I candidates are scheduled to run from 20 to 27 July, with polling set for 28 July 2026.
At the Parish/Ward (LC II) level, the compilation of voters' registers is scheduled for 29 July, while the display of the registers will take place from 30 to 31 July. The nomination of candidates for Parish/Ward LC II Chairperson positions is slated for 3 August 2026.
Campaigns will run from 4 to 9 August, and polling for LC II Chairperson positions will be conducted on 10 August 2026.
Justice Byabakama called on all stakeholders to actively participate in the exercise and adhere to the guidelines issued by the Commission.
The elections are expected to cover Uganda's extensive local governance structure, comprising approximately 70,626 villages and 10,595 parishes, making the exercise one of the largest grassroots electoral operations in the country.
Local Council elections remain a critical component of Uganda's governance system because they bring leadership closer to communities.
LC I leaders oversee village administration, community mobilisation, dispute resolution, and the coordination of government programmes, while LC II structures support administration and governance at the parish level.
With the roadmap now released and funding secured, attention now shifts to voter mobilisation, recruitment of election officials, and preparations for polling across the country.
