By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to clearly explain to candidates who are rejected during the ongoing nomination exercise, reasons for their rejection, and give them time to rectify mistakes and secure their nomination.
Addressing journalists at the party headquarters at Uganda House in Kampala on Wednesday, UPC spokesperson Sharon Oyat Arach said the nomination process is already tedious and stressful, and candidates should not be subjected to unnecessary frustration.
“We urge the Electoral Commission that when someone is being rejected for nomination, let them be given clear reasons as to why, so that if there is room to rectification, they can rectify the errors as soon as possible to get nominated,” Arach said. “Other than that, we urge the Commission to be cooperative with the candidates because this process alone is tedious, hectic, and stressful.”
Since the nomination exercise for various local government positions began on September 3, some candidates, both independents and those representing political parties have been bounced for failing to meet certain requirements, including missing documents, lack of party stamps backing their candidatures, among others. However, several aspirants have accused the EC of denying them another chance to make corrections and return for nomination, which they say is unfair.
Arach noted that while UPC had not received reports of any of its members being denied nomination, the party is concerned about fairness and transparency in the process.
“As far as we are concerned, we haven’t received such reports from our members,” she said. “But we strongly believe that if a candidate does not fit the requirements, the Electoral Commission should kindly inform them of the reasons so that they can rectify the problem as soon as possible.”
The local government nomination exercise, which kicked off last week, is part of the preparations for the 2026 general elections.
On Tuesday, the EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi urged aggrieved candidates to submit written complaints to the commission for further management of their issues.
UPC has further urged their flag bearers for parliamentary positions to advancely prepare all the requirements for nominations to avoid being inconvenienced on the last hour. The party also confirmed that they have successfully collected, and submitted for verification to the Independent Electoral Commission, over 20,000 signatures from the required three thirds (98) of the districts backing party presidential flag bearer , Hon. James Jimmy Akena, ahead of the Presidential nominations due 23-24 September.
“We are now waiting for the official day for nomination of the party president by the EC,” Muzeyi Faizo, the head of media and communication at UPC.
