KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday 23, September 2025 morning was officially nominated as a candidate for the 2026 presidential elections. The nomination was confirmed by the Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer for Presidential Nominations, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, after the President was found to have fulfilled all the necessary requirements under the Presidential Elections Act.
Following his successful nomination, the President addressed a gathering of NRM supporters at Kololo, where he was elected as the party’s presidential flag bearer. He used the occasion to outline his vision for the next term, citing past achievements and detailing key priorities.
“I want to thank the NRM members for entrusting and electing me as the NRM Presidential flag bearer for the 2026-2031 term. In this economy, the GDP of Uganda has doubled currently in the recent Kisanja from $34 billion to $66 billion. You have everything today that you lacked in the past: electricity, roads, telephones, manpower, the educated people, and peace. That’s why we are being flooded by many investors because they are looking for a peaceful and profitable area where to invest,” he said.
President Museveni then proceeded to outline the seven key priorities for his new term.
“Our priorities for this term include:
- Wealth creation: Everybody should be involved in the money economy.
- Education: All children in government primary and secondary schools should study for free.
- Infrastructure: Roads should be tarmaced on time and maintain the murram roads should be maintained.
- Crime: There is peace in the country but there’s a bit of crime and impunity. The NRM structures should come out and fight them.
- Corruption: We should get rid of it.
- Health: Immunisation is doing very well. We should also ensure the drugs are not stolen.
- Water: Have safe clean water for all villages,” he added.
Addressing his health and corruption priorities in more detail, the President spoke about the need for efficiency and public involvement.
“We are going to fight the theft of drugs at the health centers. It is not true that the government cannot provide efficient healthcare. For example, the immunization program is working very well; that is why I do not see anyone with polio in this generation. These are all children of the NRM, so if immunization can be successful, then all other efforts can be effective as well,” President Museveni said.
He then called on the public to take an active role in fighting corruption, particularly in local projects.
“Fighting corruption should involve you, the people, because you are witnesses to the crime. Therefore, you should ask, for example, ‘Where is the PDM money that was sent to the parish?’ You can wait for the president to intervene, but since you are nearby, why not take the initiative to help trace this money yourself?,” he said.
On wealth creation, he noted that the government’s efforts had significantly reduced the number of citizens outside the money economy.
“Twelve years ago, only 32% of the people were engaged in wealth creation, 68% were outside and not engaged in the creation of wealth creation. I am glad that with the efforts we have done, that figure has now gone down. By the last census only 33% were outside the money economy,” he added.
Finally, President Museveni announced a new plan to support unemployed graduates.
“I would also like to revisit an idea I proposed many years ago: university graduates who have been unemployed for two years after graduation should have access to funding. We are going to create a fund specifically for these graduates,” he said.
Requirements for nomination
According to the Electoral Commission (EC), a person seeking to be nominated as a presidential candidate must meet several legal and procedural requirements.
Aspirants must be Ugandan citizens by birth, registered voters, and be at least 18 years of age.
They must also submit certified copies of their academic qualifications, confirming they have obtained a minimum formal education of an Advanced (A) Level or its equivalent.
Furthermore, an aspirant’s nomination must be supported by at least 100 registered voters from no fewer than 98 districts, which constitutes two-thirds of all districts in Uganda.
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To be successfully nominated, aspirants must also submit the following documents and fulfill all other requirements as listed in the guidelines:
- Nomination Paper (in triplicate)
- A declaration by the candidate consenting to the nomination
- Proof of minimum formal education of Advanced Level standard or its equivalent
- Proof of voter registration for the candidate, proposer, and seconder
- Three recent passport-sized photographs of the candidate
- Proof of compliance with Section 10(1), 1(b), and (3) of the Presidential Elections Act, Cap. 179
- A Certificate of Compliance issued by the Electoral Commission
- Proof of payment of a non-refundable nomination fee of Ug. Shillings 20,000,000
- A symbol selection form (for independent aspirants only)
- Appointment of an Official Agent