Africa-Press – Uganda. As Uganda edges closer to the 2026 general elections, a storm of concern is brewing over the integrity of the country’s electoral processes.
Political figures like Kassim Kamugisha, Innocent Natukunda, and Agnes Namaganda joined voices to unpack the growing mistrust and fatigue surrounding Uganda’s elections.
“My call is that strategic leadership in Uganda has an anthill task ahead between now and the nomination period. There must be genuine dialogue to agree on how to canvass support for votes and, more importantly, to ensure that cracks emerging from the primaries do not spill over into the general elections, which could be disastrous, ” said Kassim Kamugisha, a political commentator.
His call for unity and transparency comes at a time when opposition figures and independent candidates are voicing frustration over deep-rooted electoral malpractice practices that have left many Ugandans disillusioned and disconnected from the democratic process.
According to Agnes Namaganda, a Kampala Woman MP aspirant, the culture of election rigging in Uganda is nothing new.
“The tradition of election malpractice has followed us since 1980,” she said.
“We’ve seen it in Kawempe, in youth elections, and even within the NRM itself. People are becoming apathetic they no longer want to vote, and some are even considering leaving the country during elections.”
She further pointed out that the 2021 elections were marred by serious inequalities in political financing and access to resources.
“Most of the parties that participated in the 2021 elections could not compete with the ruling party in terms of resources. But even with the money that NRM has, it has not been possible to conduct free and fair elections internally,” Namaganda noted.
Adding to her concerns was the issue of infiltration and manipulation of party structures.
“One of the top reasons why we cannot conduct the kind of election where people line up behind a candidate is because of infiltration by the NRM. The party can plant its people to line up behind the candidate it prefers, and we end up with a flag bearer who is not the true choice of the people.”
Innocent Natukunda, a team leader with the National Unity Platform (NUP), echoed similar sentiments. He accused the government of exploiting division to maintain control.
“This government has mastered the art of bench-marking through divide and rule,” Natukunda said.
“While the Church has a cardinal role to unite people, we are seeing a different stance. The President is giving some religious leaders cars and other favors, which raises serious concerns.”
As Uganda prepares for another round of elections, the stakes are higher than ever.
From voter apathy and youth disillusionment to institutional favoritism and party infiltration, the cracks in Uganda’s electoral framework are hard to ignore.
Agnes Namaganda captured the gravity of the situation: “The current regime came on the wings of an election malpractice, and they were able to push for regime change.
So if we’re looking at the impact of elections in Uganda’s case, the situation is not direct. We need to look at the impact of election malpractice.”
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