Africa-Press – Uganda. Mityana District Woman MP Joyce Bagala has sounded the alarm over Uganda’s political trajectory, warning that the 2026 general elections could be marred by the same irregularities and unrest that dogged the last poll cycle.
Speaking on NBS Face Off on Sunday, Bagala said the large number of election petitions filed against National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates after the 2021 elections should not be dismissed as routine.
“For a party to have over 300 petitions, that should tell you something about what the 2026 general elections will be like,” Bagala said.
“It raises serious concerns about electoral integrity, fairness, and the public’s trust in democratic institutions.”
Bagala, a member of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), argued that such numbers reflect systemic problems in Uganda’s democracy, and accused the ruling NRM of failing to inspire public confidence through credible governance.
“NRM is the party in power, and it has to be accountable to Ugandans. We can’t just stop talking about them,” she said.
“Holding leaders accountable is not negativity—it is democracy.”
She also addressed the persistent threat of electoral violence, urging Ugandans to interrogate its root causes rather than treat it as an isolated consequence of heated campaigns.
“For us to find a solution to electoral violence, we need to understand its root causes,” Bagala said.
“We must ask why young people are angry, why there is distrust in the system, and why violence seems to be the only language during elections.”
The former broadcast journalist also hinted at growing youth frustration, which she said was being dangerously overlooked by leaders.
“Uganda’s young people are not just angry for the sake of it. They feel excluded, unheard, and betrayed by systems that fail to represent them,” she said.
Bagala’s remarks come as political parties begin early mobilization ahead of the 2026 general elections, amid calls for electoral reforms and concerns over political repression and shrinking civic space.
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