Electoral Commission sets October dates for repeat LC1 elections

The Electoral Commission has announced the first batch of repeat elections in villages and cells where the results of the 28 July 2026 Local Council elections could not be ascertained, following complaints challenging declared outcomes.

In a press release dated 6 October 2026, Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon said the Commission had commenced preparations for repeat polls in the affected administrative units.

The first batch of repeat elections will be held on Thursday, 15 October 2026, and Monday, 19 October 2026, according to a list communicated to the affected parties.

The Commission said the repeat polls follow complaints received after the conclusion of the original elections, with some results challenged in villages and cells across the country.

The Electoral Commission is mandated under Article 61(1)(d) of the Constitution to ascertain election results, including in areas where the outcome has been challenged.

Complaints trigger fresh polls

The repeat elections are part of the Commission’s efforts to complete the 2026 grassroots electoral process after disruptions and disputes affected polling in some areas.

Earlier, the Commission reported that polling in 1,135 villages, representing about 1.6% of the country’s villages, could not take place or was not completed during the initial LC1 elections because of various circumstances, including disruptions, violence, destruction of election materials, tied results, disputes over voters’ registers and the death of nominated candidates.

The Commission subsequently undertook interventions to resolve the outstanding elections, including rescheduling polling where circumstances allowed.

The latest repeat elections, however, specifically concern villages and cells where complaints were lodged and the results could not be conclusively ascertained.

The Commission said it will continue reviewing the remaining complaints and communicate its decisions as determinations are made.

More repeat elections expected

The October polls will not necessarily be the final batch.

The Commission said subsequent batches of repeat elections will be communicated in due course, depending on the outcome of the remaining complaints.

For villages where the Commission has already ascertained the results and upheld the election outcomes, the decisions have been communicated to the relevant parties and Returning Officers for the necessary action.

The Commission’s handling of the complaints follows an earlier advisory in which it directed local government authorities to halt the swearing-in of LC1 chairpersons and committees in villages where election results were still under review.

Stakeholders urged to comply

The Electoral Commission has called on candidates, voters and other stakeholders in the affected villages and cells to take note of the repeat-election arrangements and comply with electoral laws and guidelines.

The Commission’s 2026 administrative-unit electoral programme initially set 28 July 2026 as polling day for LC1 chairpersons, with the grassroots process subsequently proceeding to the Parish/Ward level.

The repeat polls are therefore intended to close outstanding gaps in the grassroots electoral process and allow affected communities to complete the selection of their local leaders.