The Electoral Commission (EC) has postponed Local Council One (LC1) elections in two villages in Hoima District following complaints about irregularities in the village voter registers, just two days before the nationwide polls scheduled for Tuesday, July 28.
According to sources at the Commission and local election officials, the decision affects two villages where residents and candidates raised objections over the inclusion of non-residents, underage persons, and other discrepancies during the display and verification of the Village Residents Register. The EC said the postponement is intended to allow for thorough resolution of the complaints and to ensure the integrity of the process.
The Commission has been handling a wave of complaints arising from the registration exercise (conducted between July 6 and 10) and subsequent nominations. On July 22, EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi announced that the Commission had begun hearing such complaints and would communicate decisions and any remedial actions in due course. He appealed for patience from stakeholders.
“The Commission will inform the stakeholders of the respective decisions and appropriate lawful actions taken,” Byabakama stated at a press briefing at the EC headquarters in Kampala earlier this week.
Voting in the remaining villages across Uganda’s more than 71,000 villages will proceed as planned on July 28. Each village serves as its own polling station, with voters lining up behind candidates, their agents, portraits or symbols in accordance with the Local Governments Act. Campaigns for LC1 chairpersons ran from July 20 to 27 and were restricted to the candidates’ own villages.
The LC1 elections form part of the long-delayed administrative units polls, which also include Women’s Councils (held on July 23) and LC2 elections scheduled for August. The process follows years of term extensions for existing local leaders due to funding constraints. Government allocated approximately Shs56–57 billion for the exercise.
Local leaders and candidates in the affected Hoima villages have been advised to remain calm and await further communication from the district returning officer and the Electoral Commission on the new dates. The Commission has previously emphasised that any postponements will be limited and aimed at protecting the credibility of the grassroots elections.
The LC1 polls are widely regarded as critical for restoring legitimate leadership at the village level, improving service delivery, and strengthening the foundation of Uganda’s decentralised governance system.
Further details on the specific villages and the revised polling timetable are expected to be released by the Electoral Commission in the coming days.