The Electoral Commission has announced its readiness to conduct Local Council elections across Uganda after receiving the necessary funding for the exercise.
The elections will cover Village Women Committee positions and Local Council I (LC1) leadership structures in all 71,214 villages nationwide.
Speaking on Monday at the EC headquarters, Commission Chairperson Simon Byabakama said the electoral process will begin with the updating of village and women village registers from July 6 to July 10, 2026.
Byabakama urged Ugandans to ensure their details are included in the village registers, noting that registration is a key requirement for both voters and aspiring candidates.
"For anyone to take part in these elections as either a voter or contestant, the biggest requirement is for one to be a resident and that happens when you are in the village register. I call upon all Ugandans to update their village membership by registering in the village register," he said.
He added that all women intending to participate in the elections must register in both the village register and the women village register during the five-day exercise, which will run daily from 7am to 6pm.
Registration will be conducted free of charge and supervised by village election officers appointed by the Electoral Commission.
Byabakama also clarified that candidates will not be required to possess academic qualifications, provided they are Ugandan citizens, registered residents of the village and aged 18 years and above.
The Electoral Commission will display the village registers for verification on July 13 and 14.
"Only registers from the Electoral Commission will be used and confirmation of names and other particulars in the village register will be done on July 13 and 14, which will be marked as display dates," he said.
For the Village Women Committee elections, five positions will be contested: chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary, publicity secretary and secretary for finance.
Nominations for these positions will take place between July 15 and July 19 at respective sub-county headquarters from 9am to 5pm.
Byabakama said aspiring candidates must be female, Ugandan citizens, listed on the village register and at least 18 years old.
"No academic qualification is required and nomination will also be at zero charges," he said, warning individuals against charging nomination fees.
Campaigns for Village Women Committee positions will run from July 20 to July 22, while polling will take place on July 23 in all villages.
Voting will be conducted through the traditional lining-up method in designated public spaces.
Following the women's elections, attention will shift to the election of Local Council I leaders.
Byabakama said the LC1 executive committee will comprise 11 members, including 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 positions.
Nominations for LC1 candidates will also be conducted from July 15 to July 19 at sub-county headquarters.
He noted that the elections will be conducted under the multiparty political system and that nomination forms will be issued by parish election officers between July 9 and July 14.
"Participation will be under a multiparty system and only parish election officers will issue nomination forms. Nomination will be free of charge and no academic qualifications will be required. The commission will issue further guidelines," Byabakama said.
Campaigns for LC1 positions will run for eight days, from July 20 to July 27, while polling will take place on July 28.
Each village will serve as a polling station, with voting conducted in open public spaces through lining up behind candidates. Every candidate will also be permitted to have two agents at the polling station.
Upon completion of the LC1 elections, the Electoral Commission will proceed with Local Council II elections at parish level beginning July 29.
The parish-level elections will be conducted by the newly elected village local council committees.
