The proposals were made during a regional Post-Election Evaluation Workshop held at the Civil Service College in Jinja City, where participants reviewed the conduct of the 2026 General Elections and developed recommendations for improving future electoral cycles.
The workshop brought together police and prisons officials, Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) representatives, civil society organisations, political party leaders, and Local Council Five (LCV) chairpersons from across Busoga.
Participants were divided into ten groups and tasked with identifying reforms that should be considered ahead of the 2031 General Elections.
Among the key recommendations was a proposal to restrict the army from active involvement in elections.
The stakeholders argued that the military does not have specialised training in managing civilian electoral activities such as campaigns and polling, adding that its deployment could affect public confidence in the electoral process.
“Many of the groups proposed that the army should not be deployed during elections. This is important for transparency and to allow democracy to thrive because the army is not trained in handling electoral processes,” one group presenter said.
Participants also proposed that presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections should all be conducted on a single day to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase voter participation.
Presenting his group’s recommendations, Kafuko Mulyandawo said the current staggered electoral system creates challenges for voters, especially those who have to travel long distances to their home areas to participate in elections.
“Many voters travel long distances to their villages to vote. We propose that voting be done once, on the same day, to avoid disenfranchising citizens from exercising their constitutional right to elect leaders of their choice,” Mulyandawo said.
The stakeholders said a unified election day would reduce logistical challenges and financial pressure on both the government and voters.
Responding to the proposals, Kiira Region Electoral Commission Officer Deo Natukunda welcomed the recommendations, saying they would be submitted to relevant authorities for consideration.
“All the views raised here have been captured and will be forwarded to the relevant authorities, including Parliament, which is constitutionally mandated to make laws and amendments,” Natukunda said.
The workshop is part of the Electoral Commission’s wider post-election review process aimed at assessing electoral performance, identifying gaps, and strengthening election management systems ahead of future polls.