The National Unity Platform (NUP) party National secretary for Mobilization, Habib Buwembo has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama to ensure Ugandans have a free and fair local council election which is due this month.

While addressing Nexus Media at the NUP headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2026, Buwembo said that as the mobilizing secretary for NUP he has seen a lot of vote rigging and election violence in the past presidential election and the recently concluded Kalangala by-election and there is need to appeal to the EC Chairperson, Justice Byabakama to ensure that during the LCI elections voters are not disfranchised.

“Recently we were in Kalangala for the by-election and we appealed to Justice Byabakama to ensure that we have a free and fair election but after the elections he only came out to lament after he had seen the chaos and injustice by the military and state goons. Sadly he didn’t have enough stamina to cancel the results, which is absurd and we wouldn’t want to go through the same in these coming Local Council elections,” Buwembo said.

Buwembo further expressed his dissatisfaction with the electoral commission’s failure to do civic education amongst the voters, citing that there are many changes that several members of the public are not aware of, say the voting days and when to participate in what the crucial election.

“In the past, the women chairperson was the one to appoint her committee to work with but this time all committee members must contest and be voted also all women who are to participate in these elections must register in the women’s register and the general LCI register,” Buwembo added.

He also cited that many people are not aware of the criteria to qualify to vote in the coming LCI election, for example how one must go and register at their LCI for them to be able to vote their local leaders.

“Equally important, all people to participate in these elections must all have registered in their LCI registers and not assume to use the general electoral commission registers used in the previous elections. All this information is not well articulated to the general public and this may cause problems on the voting day,” Buwembo noted.

Buwembo appealed to all Ugandans to turn up and register at their respective LCI villages and vote since the Local Council leaders are the first structure for security and act as first arbitrators who manage civil maters thus the need to participate and choose the rightful people.

According to the Electoral Commission roadmap, there will be voting of Local women council leaders on July 23rd, 2026, and then voting of Local council I chairpersons on July 28th, 2026, and voting will be by lining up behind the desired candidate and will be conducted by the Commission officers countrywide.