Voters' register: EC boss dispels collusion with NRM

KAMPALA - The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, has dismissed allegations of collusion with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) regarding the voters' register.

The issue was raised on Thursday (April 3, 2025) during a meeting with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, chaired by Stephen Bakka Mugabi (Bukooli North, NRM).

The EC was presenting its ministerial policy statement which outlines the budgetary requirements for the financial year 2025/2026 that covers the last phase of the preparations for the forthcoming general elections.

Kasilo county MP Elijah Okupa had pointed out that the EC figure of 20 million registered voters as of March 31 this year appeared to align closely with the total registered members of the ruling party.

“NRM party saying they have registered voters of twenty million. Of course, yours [EC] has also increased from 18 to 20 million registered voters. Is it a coincidence?” asked Okupa.

In response, Byabakama clarified that the Electoral Commission operates independently of any political party.

“Maybe you can call it a strange coincidence indeed," he told the legislators.
"But there is no correlation between the process of us registering voters and the registration of members of NRM, I want to assure you. 

"For us, we carry out our own independent process and, in any case, the registration we have been carrying out, we are not saying all these 20 million voters were registered recently. 

"For instance, all of you members voted in 2021, you did not need to register afresh. It is only those who were not on the register that got registered,” explained the EC chief.
“I want to assure members that we have no dealing with any NRM when they are registering their members."

Weighing in, Erute South MP Jonathan Odur (UPC) pointed out that even if it was true that NRM registered members are 20 million, there is no guarantee they will vote for their party.

“Actually, that should not worry you. In Kawempe North, they also had a sizeable number of voters but the results came out differently."

Elections budget

Uganda is readying to hold its general elections early next year.

The other issue that came out during Thursday's meeting was the rising cost of elections, which, in Bamunanika County MP Robert Ssekitoleko’s view (NUP), coincides with marked violence. 

“We have seen budget increments, every election from 2011 up to date. Can we say the more money budgeted in electoral process causes more violence?

"Probably that is why we are seeing Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) and other bodies coming in, because there is money,” said Ssekitoleko.

Submissions to the committee show that the budget for the 2026 general elections has increased to sh838.7 billion, up from sh765.07 billion in the previous election. 

Comparatively, the election budget for the 2016 elections was sh476.58 billion and sh299.53 billion in 2011.