The Electoral Commission (EC) has set September 17, 2026 as the date for the parliamentary by-election in Adjumani West, following the death of former area MP, Gen. Moses Ali, last month.
Speaking to journalists, EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the commission had already begun implementing the electoral roadmap required by law to fill the vacant parliamentary seat.
He said the ongoing update of the national voters register at village level is one of the key activities leading to the by-election. He urged political parties, independent aspirants and other interested stakeholders to begin preparing for the electoral process.
“As a commission, we have started our work as required by the law to fill the vacant parliamentary seat. The ongoing update of the voters register is part of the roadmap for the by-election,” Byabakama said.
The commission also warned that election officials found to have mishandled the recently concluded LC1 elections will face disciplinary action after investigations.
Byabakama said individuals accused of destroying election materials during the village elections will also be held accountable if investigations establish that they committed offences under the electoral laws.
He appealed to Ugandans to conduct themselves peacefully during elections, saying violence has no place in a democratic process.
“Elections are not a matter of life and death. We appeal to all citizens to avoid violence and respect the electoral process,” he said.
According to the EC, it has so far received more than 300 election petitions arising from the recently concluded village elections. Byabakama said the commission will examine the complaints and handle them in accordance with the law.
He also provided an update on the ongoing elections for women’s committees.
It said campaigns for candidates seeking election as Parish Women’s Committee chairpersons began on August 4 and are expected to end on August 6.
The commission explained that these elections are conducted through an electoral college system, where only duly elected members of the women’s committees are eligible to vote.
Byabakama further announced that the national conference for the women’s committee elections is scheduled to take place from September 3 to September 4, as part of the EC’s programme for the ongoing special interest group elections.
