Uganda Electoral Commission Declares Museveni Candidate for 2026 Presidential Polls

Addis Ababa, September 24, 2025 (ENA) -- Uganda's Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday officially declared President Yoweri Museveni a candidate for the 2026 general elections after verifying his nomination documents at its headquarters in the capital, Kampala.

"I declare Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta, a duly nominated candidate in respect of the presidential elections 2026," said EC Chairperson Simon Mugenyi Byabakama.

"The commission calls on all participants, their agents, aspirants, and the general public to uphold the values of peace, dignity, and mutual respect throughout the nomination process and mostly in the upcoming campaign period for the presidential candidates," Byabakama added.

The ruling National Resistance Movement party in July endorsed Museveni, who has been in power for 39 years, as its sole presidential candidate and national chairman for the next five years.

Museveni, 81, accompanied by other senior party officials, thanked the commission for approving his candidacy.

President Yoweri Museveni has declared that the 2026 general election will mark his final bid for the presidency, bringing an end to a political career that has spanned nearly four decades.

Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, said he would not seek office beyond 2026 and urged Ugandans to turn out in large numbers to support him for the very last time.

The president, seeking a seventh consecutive five-year term, said his priorities would include wealth creation programs, free education in government schools, road maintenance, improved health services, and tackling crime.

According to the commission, presidential campaigns will start on Sept. 29, with voting scheduled for Jan. 2, 2026