With just months left before Uganda enters the electoral season for the 2026 general elections, opposition political parties are raising alarms over what they call a skewed and non-inclusive electoral roadmap.
They accuse the Electoral Commission of favoring the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and leaving other political players at a disadvantage.
The opposition says the Electoral Commission's roadmap has created more questions than answers.
Political party leaders claim there's a lack of transparency, unfair timelines, and exclusion of key stakeholders in critical decision-making processes.
David Rubongoya, Secretary General of the National Unity Platform (NUP] says several adjustments in the roadmap are not communicated to the people.
" We are not informed of boundary changes, and the time given for campaigns is biased towards the NRM. The just-concluded Kisoro by-election is proof - NUP had only 10 days to campaign while the NRM had a clear advantage," he said.
This roadmap is here to favor NRM, I think EC makes changes and decisions following what NRM wants and does not mind other political parties," Rubongoya added.
Jimmy Akena, the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) party president, shared similar concerns, questioning the efficiency and inclusiveness of the current electoral roadmap.
" The issue of vote rigging hasn't been resolved, if we go into polls without first resolving those issues then we can't say we are having a free and fair election," Akena said.
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"The time left for electoral activities is too short to ensure a fair process. This roadmap fails to serve its intended purpose of creating an equal playing field for all political players," he added.
" There was no back door that NRM went to and discussed with the Electoral Commission on the electoral roadmaps. The same roadmap for NRM serves the opposition too. If EC doesn't have enough funds from Parliament it will have to make some changes," Rogers Mulindwa, Senior Manager in charge of Information, Communication, and Public Relations, NRM said.
" The problem with the opposition is they keep complaining over nothing," he added.
Adding to the tension is the pending tabling of electoral reforms by the Minister of Justice, Nobert Mao, with barely a year left to the elections. Critics argue that the reforms if delayed further, could deepen the divide between the Electoral Commission and the opposition.
While the Electoral Commission insists that it's operating within its mandate, opposition parties say the roadmap's implementation raises more suspicion, especially with reports of limited public awareness of changes to electoral boundaries and campaign timelines.
The clock is ticking towards 2026, but opposition voices are growing louder, demanding an electoral process that guarantees fairness, inclusivity, and transparency. Whether these concerns will be addressed remains to be seen as Uganda braces for a contentious political season.
