Women Council elections kick off on Thursday
The message comes at a time when the village Women's Council elections kick off on Thursday, July 23, 2026, across the country.
Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama.(File)
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The Electoral Commission (EC) has called on Ugandans to conduct peaceful campaigns and participate peacefully in the Local Council 1 (LC 1), LC 2, and Women Council elections.
The message comes at a time when the village Women's Council elections kick off on Thursday, July 23, 2026, across the country.
Addressing journalists at the Commission headquarters on the eve of the polls today (July 22), Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said; "tomorrow's elections will see registered women in every village elect five members of the Village Women's Committee: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Publicity Secretary and Secretary for Governance."
Voting will take place in open public places within each village using the lining-up method provided for under the Local Governments Act, where voters line up behind the candidate, the candidate's representative or portrait., said Byabakama.
The EC boss urged women to turn up in large numbers and vote peacefully. "The commission appeals to all women who registered for these elections to turn up in large numbers and vote peacefully for their leaders at the village level," he said.
Byabakama said electing women leaders was an important step in promoting inclusive governance. "By participating in these grassroots elections, you strengthen democracy, promote inclusive leadership and contribute to the development of your communities."
He reminded voters that only women whose names appear on the Village Women's Register will be allowed to vote. "If you did not register as a resident in your village, please do not waste your time going to the polling venue. Even if you are a woman, you are not eligible to vote because you were not registered as a resident member of the Village Council," he advised.
Byabakama told journalists that the EC had successfully completed all the major preparatory stages and was now entering the polling phase, beginning with the election of Village Women's Committees tomorrow, followed by the election of Village (LC 1) Chairpersons next Tuesday on July 28.
He urged candidates, voters and political actors to observe the law, remain tolerant of one another and avoid actions that could disrupt the electoral process. "The commission urges all Ugandans to participate in these elections and to do so in accordance with the law, ensure good conduct, civility, tolerance for one another, and follow the guidelines issued by the Commission. This will ensure a smooth electoral exercise," Byabakama said.
The election programme
Among the completed activities was the verification of residents and compilation of Village Residents' Registers and Village Women's Registers, an exercise that was conducted between July 6 and July 10 in all the 71,214 villages across Uganda.
According to Byabakama, the exercise produced two separate registers: one for electing Village Chairpersons and approving Village Executive Committees, and another specifically for Women's Council elections.
The registers were later displayed from July 13 to July 14 to enable residents to verify their names, National Identification Numbers (NINs), age, gender and village of residence while identifying persons who were not eligible (non-residents, those below 18 years of age and non-citizens).
Byabakama thanked Ugandans for actively participating in the exercise. "Your commitment, cooperation and timely support were instrumental in the successful completion of this important activity. Your participation has been critical in ensuring that we have accurate and reliable registers for use during these elections," he said.
The EC boss said the enthusiasm shown by citizens had exceeded expectations despite criticism of the lining-up voting system used for village elections.
Byabakama said the public had demonstrated confidence in the electoral process. "The level of interest and enthusiasm demonstrated by the public has disproved those who believed people would not embrace elections conducted through the lining-up method," he said.
He commended citizens for maintaining peace during the preparatory exercises. "I commend the people of Uganda for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the process."
Meanwhile, campaigns for LC1 elections that kicked off on Monday continue across the country until July 27 ahead of polling day on July 28.
The Commission boss reminded candidates that campaign meetings and public rallies may only be conducted between 7:00am. and 6:00pm, and must remain within the village where the candidate is seeking election.
"If you are contesting in one village, there is no reason to cross into another village because those people will not be voting for you. Remain within the boundaries of the village where you are seeking election as a chairperson," advised Byabakama.
Candidates asked to appear in person
Although the law allows candidates to appoint representatives during voting, Byabakama appealed to contestants to personally attend polling because they immediately assume leadership responsibilities after being declared winners.
He explained that following the declaration of results, the chairperson-elect must preside over the first sitting of the Village Council and nominate members of the Village Executive Committee.
"We want to appeal to all candidates; try as much as possible to turn up in person because it is a very important process you have to preside over. A portrait cannot be nominated,” he said.
The chairperson-elect will nominate six executive members, including the Vice Chairperson, General Secretary, Secretary for Information, Education and Mobilisation, Secretary for Security, Secretary for Finance, and Secretary for Production and Environmental Protection. Each nominee must be approved by members of the Village Council through a show of hands.
Byabakama noted that registered residents have the authority to reject any nominee presented by the chairperson-elect.
Complaints under review
Byabakama acknowledged receiving complaints concerning village registers and candidate nominations, saying handling of the complaints had started.
Byabakama said complaints relating to the registers had been handled by Parish Complaints Committees, while nomination-related petitions had been referred to the EC for hearing and determination.
"The Commission will commence hearing and determining these complaints today and will communicate its decisions to the affected stakeholders together with the appropriate actions to be taken," he revealed.
He appealed for patience from all affected parties as the Commission completes the process.