Uganda has officially entered campaign season ahead of the 2026 General Elections, with eight presidential candidates cleared to contest for the country’s highest office. The campaigns, which began on Monday, will run across all 146 districts for three months, culminating in the presidential vote set for January 2, 2026.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who has led Uganda for nearly four decades, is seeking a seventh consecutive five-year term on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket. His campaign launch in Greater Luweero underscored his message of continuity and protecting Uganda’s hard-won gains.
Among the key challengers is Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-politician leading the National Unity Platform (NUP). Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Secretary General of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is also in the race, alongside five other contenders representing a cross-section of Uganda’s political spectrum.
Julius Mucunguzi, spokesperson for the Electoral Commission, assured Ugandans of a transparent process. “We have agreed on a harmonized campaign program for all eight presidential candidates. Campaigns will run daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We call upon all candidates to adhere to the calendar and guidelines to ensure peaceful, free, and fair elections,” he said.
The 2026 presidential contest is widely expected to be one of the most closely watched in Uganda’s political history, with the spotlight on youth participation, service delivery, and the country’s economic trajectory.
