Youth call for electoral reforms ahead of 2026

Various political youth leagues under the multi-party youth forum have called for the  need to have electoral reforms to ensure effective participation of young people and nurture a country that accommodates divergent political views.

Youth represent a significant port of the population yet their engagement in the political sphere often falls short of its potential.

Recognizing this disparity, the multi-party youth forum has emerged as a pivotal platform for advocating electoral reforms aimed at fostering the full participation of young people in Uganda's political landscape.

These reforms include measures to enhance civic education programs targeting young people, facilitate voter registration drives in youth-dense communities and capping electoral financing.

"The unregulated spending needs to be checked. Someone can spend up to shs10 billion  on a constituency election and there is no concern on that For us we think this is a problem because if one spends all that money how are you going to fight corruption if that person is given a committee of Parliament to investigate? It could lead to  a deal-making Parliament because one has to recoup what they have spent," Jacob Eyeru, the chairperson of the National Youth Council said.

Kirya Ismael, the president of the Uganda Young Democrats also threw his weight behind the proposal.

"There  are somethings that are unrealistic to the young people. We need reduce the nomination fees. In 2010, the nomination fee was shs200,000, now we are asking ourselves, why sh3 million  yet we go into an election when the budget for electoral commission is there? What is the shs3 million  for?,"Kirya said.

"If you are talking about youth representation, then you cannot be talking about nomination fees of sh3 million. It is not that there will not be anyone to afford it but the idea itself is wrong. We want the young people who will be running to represent young people to to pay shs200,000 not shs3 million because it doesn’t make sense to us."

Eyeru said  that central to the discussions within the forum is the recognition of these unique challenges that young people face when seeking to participate in Uganda's political processes

He adds that these challenges, that range from limited access to political education and resources to systemic barriers, impede their ability to run for office or exercise their right to vote freely and fairly.

"What we are saying is that  could there be a declaration of sources of financing for people who are running for Parliament, president and the there should be a maximum amount that the law says one should spend if you are running? Why would one go to four sub-counties and spend shs4 billion?"

The various political leagues say through public campaigns, community outreach initiatives, and educational workshops are needed to empower the young people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to become active and informed citizens.