The Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a stern warning to individuals attempting to unlawfully participate in the ongoing Special Interest Group (SIG) elections for village committees representing persons with disabilities (PWDs), which will be held starting today, June 17, 2025.
The commission has received reports from various regions indicating that individuals without disabilities are attempting to vote or contest in PWD committee elections, an act deemed illegal and subject to legal repercussions.
Julius Mucunguzi, the Electoral Commission’s spokesperson, urged the public to respect the integrity of these elections, which are exclusively for persons with disabilities registered on the designated PWD voters’ register.
“We strongly caution anyone intending to participate in the village committee elections for persons with disabilities without being registered on the PWD voters’ register to refrain from doing so,” Mucunguzi stated.
“Such actions are illegal, and offenders will face consequences as per the law.”
The PWD village-level elections, part of the broader SIG electoral process, are being conducted using the lining-up method, where voters align behind their preferred candidates, agents, portraits, or approved symbols.
The positions up for election include Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Treasurer.
Mucunguzi encouraged all eligible PWD voters—Ugandan citizens aged 18 and above, registered on both the national voters’ register and the PWD register—to actively participate and establish representative leadership at the grassroots level.
“We urge all eligible voters to turn out in large numbers to ensure the formation of inclusive and representative village committees,” he said.
The commission emphasized that unauthorized participation undermines the legal framework and diminishes the representation of persons with disabilities in national governance.
Concerns about the manipulation of SIG elections have been raised recently, with the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) reporting instances of non-disabled individuals fraudulently posing as PWDs to participate in these elections.
NUDIPU has called for immediate action to safeguard the integrity of the PWD electoral process.
