The Electoral Commission (EC) has released the official timetable for the upcoming Local Council elections, setting in motion the process to elect Village Women Committees and Local Council I (LCI) leaders in all 71,214 villages across Uganda.
Speaking at the commission’s headquarters on Monday, EC Chairperson Simon Byabakama announced that the electoral exercise will begin with the update of village and women’s village registers from July 6 to July 10, 2026. The updated registers will then be displayed for public verification on July 13 and 14.
Byabakama said the elections will give Ugandans the opportunity to choose leaders for both the Village Women Committees and LCI structures, adding that the entire nomination process will be conducted free of charge.
For the Village Women Committee elections, voters will elect five office bearers: the chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, publicity secretary and secretary for finance.
Nominations for these positions will be held from July 15 to July 19 at sub-county headquarters between 9am and 5pm, before campaigns run from July 20 to July 22. Polling is scheduled for July 23, with voting taking place through the traditional lining-up method at designated public venues in every village.
Byabakama said anyone seeking election to the Village Women Committee must be a female Ugandan citizen, be listed on the village register, reside in the village and be at least 18 years old. He added that no academic qualifications are required.
“There are no nomination fees. Anyone demanding money from aspiring candidates is acting illegally,” Byabakama warned.
Attention will then shift to the election of Local Council I leaders, whose executive committees will consist of 11 members. These include the chairperson, vice chairperson, general secretary, secretary for information, secretary for security, secretary for finance, secretary for youth affairs, secretary for disability affairs and secretary for elderly affairs, among other committee members.
Nomination forms for LCI candidates will be issued by parish election officers from July 9 to July 14, while nominations will take place between July 15 and July 19 at sub-county headquarters.
Byabakama said the LCI elections will be conducted under Uganda’s multiparty political system, with participation open to eligible candidates without any academic qualification requirements. He reiterated that nominations will be free of charge and that the commission will issue additional election guidelines before the exercise begins.
Campaigns for LCI candidates will run from July 20 to July 27, ahead of polling on July 28.
Each village will serve as a polling station, with voters lining up behind their preferred candidates in open public spaces. Every candidate will also be allowed to appoint two polling agents.
Once the village elections are concluded, the Electoral Commission will move to the next stage of the roadmap with the election of Local Council II leaders at parish level starting on July 29. These elections will be conducted by the newly elected Village Local Council committees.
