The Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, has declared President Yoweri Museveni as the first duly nominated Presidential candidate for the 2026 elections.
President Museveni, who was accompanied by First Lady Janet Museveni arrived at the Electoral Commission Lweza offices on schedule for the 10am nomination where he was welcomed bythe party’s top leaders including Speaker Anita Among and PM Robinah Nabbanja among others.
Justice Byabakama declared Museveni a candidate after scrutinizing his academic documents and nomination papers.
“I Justice Byabakama Mugenyi, being the returning officer for the nomination of Presidential candidates, declare Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta, a duly nominated candidate in respect of the Presidential elections 2026, he having fulfilled the nomination requirements under the Presidential Election Act, chapter 179” he said.
While addressing media briefly after his nomination, President Museveni said there is need to convince Ugandans about what has been achieved in the past by the NRM government and what it plans to do in the next term in office.
“We have got two major thrusts, number one is to work with the middle class and investors outside to completely transform Uganda from a lower middle income country which we are now to high middle income country moving towards first world country” he said.
He added, “In this term that has ended, the GDP of Uganda has doubled apparently, at the end of the last Kisanja we were at 34 billion USD, we are now 66 billion USD, I really don’t know why NRM doesn’t talk about some of these things because they are remarkable”.
Mr Museveni noted that government intends to further increase the country’s GDP in the next term.
“This is what we intend to do in this coming term and things are now much faster because we have everything we didn’t have in the past, we have electricity, roads, phones, educated man power, we have the peace, that’s why we are being flooded by more investments” he said.
President Museveni further urged Gen Z’s to keep on supporting the NRM government and embrace the developments it has brought to the country.
“Nobody will accuse the electoral commission for campaigning for me, when they selected this site here, what I challenge the NRM media team to do is to go and get a satellite picture of 1986 if they can of this area….., and now, then you don’t have to campaign much, you just show”.
He added, “You Gen Z people, my comrades, my supporters you should see that picture of 1986 here, this was a coffee shamba that’s why they call it Lubowa estate, it was owned by a British company called mutual courts, now when you come here it’s amazing”.
Meanwhile hundreds of NRM supporters have gathered at the Kololo independence grounds where President Museveni is set to meet them and launch his manifesto.
Two more candidates are expected today for nomination who are Conservative Party’s Elton Joseph Mabirizi at mid-day and Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party, (NPP) at 2pm.
Other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (NUP) and Nathan Nandala Mafabi (FDC), are expected tomorrow at Lweza for their nominations.
