Tension is mounting at the Electoral Commission (EC) headquarters in Kampala after several independent presidential aspirants, led by John Katumba, vowed not to leave the premises until their signatures are verified and their nominations cleared.
The group accuses the EC of deliberately frustrating independent candidates and attempting to edge them out of the 2026 presidential race.
Katumba, who gained notoriety as the youngest presidential aspirant in the 2021 elections, told journalists on Tuesday that the EC had subjected independents to unfair treatment under the guise of signature verification.
He claimed that despite submitting the required endorsement lists, his application was still pending clearance over what he described as flimsy grounds.
“What those observers are doing in that tent of nomination, you can’t tell me that I lacked it. Yesterday you told me I was short of only 60 signatures. I have since given you more than that, but you have not cleared me up to now. There is a deliberate effort to remove all independent candidates,” Katumba charged, his voice rising as fellow aspirants cheered him on.
The law requires all presidential aspirants to submit at least 100 signatures of registered voters from two-thirds of Uganda’s districts as proof of nationwide support.
But several independents say the verification process has been slow, opaque, and selectively applied.
Katumba, joined by other independents vowed to remain at the EC headquarters “day and night” until their signatures are verified. Some carried mattresses and blankets, symbolically indicating their readiness to camp at the premises.
“No one is going to eliminate us. Uganda is made up of all of us. If you knew you could not hold elections, you should have said so. You have no right to stop us from exercising our constitutional right,” Katumba said.
The aspirants accused the EC, chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama, of mismanaging the nomination process and creating unnecessary obstacles.
They cited understaffing, slow verification, and lack of transparency in handling signature lists as major concerns.
“If you knew you had your preferred people, you wouldn’t have given out a public call for nominations. You knew there were more than 200 candidates, yet you put only a handful of officers to verify signatures. Byabakama, you are a lawyer; you know that once we picked papers, a contract was entered. We demand to know the status of our signatures,” Katumba told reporters.
The group also expressed concern over the limited timeframe for nominations, saying the two days allocated for verification were inadequate.
“We are not leaving the Electoral Commission until we get answers. The two days given to us are not enough to verify everyone unless you confirm to us that you will nominate all of us tomorrow,” Katumba added.
Their protest drew attention from security officers stationed around the EC headquarters.
While police maintained calm, they increased deployment near the entrance, anticipating that the standoff could escalate if the aspirants were not attended to quickly.
Observers note that this year’s presidential nomination exercise has already attracted controversy, with opposition parties accusing the EC of bias.
The latest standoff with independents is likely to fuel more criticism of the Commission’s handling of the electoral roadmap.
Efforts to get an immediate response from the EC were unsuccessful.
However, sources within the Commission indicated that the verification process was ongoing, but that the overwhelming number of aspirants had caused delays.
Political analysts argue that while the EC is bound by law to enforce strict verification standards, it also has a responsibility to ensure that all aspirants are treated fairly and transparently.
“The perception that independents are being sidelined can undermine the credibility of the entire electoral process,” said Dr. Patrick Wakida, a political commentator.
As the sun set over Kampala, the independent aspirants remained firm in their resolve to camp at the Commission’s premises until their grievances were addressed.
With the nomination window closing fast, their fate now hangs in the balance, and the standoff threatens to become a flashpoint in the already heated race to the 2026 general elections.
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