EC Orders Fresh LC I Polls in Over 1,100 Villages After Election Disruptions

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1154 EAT on Thursday 30 July 2026

The Electoral Commission of Uganda (EC) has announced fresh polling in 1,135 villages across the country after violence, destruction of election materials and disputes over voters’ registers disrupted the long-awaited Local Council I (LC I) elections held on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, EC chairperson Simon Byabakama Mugenyi said voting was successfully completed in 70,079 of Uganda’s 71,214 villages, representing a 98.4 per cent completion rate.

Polling, however, failed to conclude in 1,135 villages following incidents of violence, interference by residents, destruction of voters’ registers, disputes over village registers and complaints of missing names on the voters’ lists.

Despite the disruptions, Byabakama said the elections were largely peaceful and well managed across most parts of the country.
“Generally, residents turned up in large numbers and the electoral process was peaceful, orderly and transparent,” he said, while acknowledging that “some of the scenes witnessed during Tuesday’s LC I elections were ugly.”

He also revealed that the Commission had received reports that, in some villages, election officials allowed individuals whose names were missing from the voters’ registers to cast their ballots after presenting national identity cards.

Byabakama clarified that the practice was not authorised by the Electoral Commission and did not comply with the Commission’s guidelines.

According to the Electoral Commission, some of the affected villages conducted repeat polls on Wednesday, while voting in others will take place after outstanding disputes have been resolved.

To address the disruptions, the Commission announced a series of measures for the affected areas. Byabakama said fresh voter registration will commence on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in villages where voters’ registers were destroyed during Tuesday’s violence. Polling in those villages is scheduled for Saturday, August 1.

He added that villages where the voters’ registers remained intact despite disruptions will also hold repeat elections on Saturday, August 1.

The Commission further announced special arrangements for villages affected by the death of nominated candidates. In villages where the only nominated candidate died before polling, fresh nominations will be conducted on Thursday, followed by voting on the same day.

Where one candidate died but other candidates remain in the race, polling will proceed with the remaining contestants, Byabakama said.

The EC chairperson also revealed that the Commission had received numerous election petitions arising from the LC I polls and would handle them in accordance with the law, although he did not disclose the number of complaints filed.

Byabakama further disclosed that the Commission had received reports alleging that some election officials colluded with individuals to manipulate the outcome of the elections. He said the allegations would be investigated as part of efforts to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

He urged residents to refrain from violence during the remaining electoral activities and called on communities to allow the Commission to complete the exercise peacefully.

The LC I elections, the first nationwide village polls since 2018, drew a high voter turnout as residents elected village chairpersons, the lowest elected leaders under Uganda’s local government system.

The elections were conducted using the queue-voting system, in which voters lined up behind their preferred candidates in accordance with the Local Governments Act.

Despite the disruptions reported in some areas, the Electoral Commission said the overall exercise reflected strong public participation and reaffirmed its commitment to completing the electoral process in all affected villages.

-Observer

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