Will special interest groups answer this democratic call to lead Uganda?

I once told my friend Joseph that he should consider joining politics. It wasn’t a passing compliment; I meant it. Joseph is one of those rare people whose life’s work speaks louder than any campaign slogan ever could. He’s spent years working with youth groups, championing the rights of persons with disabilities, mentoring young men and women trying to find their path, and challenging harmful norms in his community with nothing but quiet persistence and deep conviction.

He didn’t need a title to lead. He was already doing the work. Which is exactly why I believed he belonged on the ballot.

But Joseph just smiled and said, “With what money?” It was an answer I knew was coming, the same one I’ve heard from so many thoughtful, transformative young people. The kind of people who should be leading. But they’re not.

Joseph’s story is not unique. He’s respected. He’s eloquent. He understands policy. And yet, when it came to the idea of contesting, he was quick to remind me of what it actually takes to run: not ideas, not values, not community service, but money.

He spoke of transport allowances expected by voters during campaigns, the posters he’d need to print, the airtime he’d have to buy, the meals he’d need to provide, and the unspoken understanding that if you’re not giving out “something”, no one will listen to what you have to say.

It’s not just about affordability; it’s about how much of yourself you’re willing to lose in the process. “I’ve spent ten years building my reputation,” he said. “I don’t want politics to undo that in ten minutes.” He feared the smear campaigns, the manipulation, and the fights in the name of competition. “They treat elections like war,” he said quietly.

Which brings me to the recent reminder from the Electoral Commission that elections are not a battleground, as Julius Mucunguzi, the EC spokesperson, recently put it during an interview with a local television station.

And yet, for people like Joseph, they feel like one. Not because they carry weapons, but because they walk into a system where money speaks louder than service, where noise drowns out vision, and where our communities often choose the candidate who can “deliver” today over the one who’s been building tomorrow.

How many Josephs have we lost because we’ve normalised selling our votes to the highest bidder? How many brilliant minds are pushed aside because they don’t show up with envelopes, sacks of sugar, or boda boda fuel?

We complain about poor leadership, and yet in moments that count, we trade away potential for short-term gain. We make it near-impossible for competent, passionate leaders to emerge, not because they lack heart, but because we’ve created a culture that sidelines them before they even start.

Joseph didn’t run. He continued his work quietly, without the attention or platform he deserved. And every time I hear someone complain about the calibre of our leaders, I think about how we, as a society, helped shape that reality. We had better choices. We knew better options. But we priced them out.

The next time we head into an election, maybe the real question isn’t “Who’s standing?” But “Who isn’t and why?”

Because until we create space for the Josephs of this world, we’ll keep settling for what’s loudest, not what’s best.

But to all the Josephs out there, and especially those within Uganda’s Special Interest Groups like the youth, this is not your cue to walk away. It’s your moment to show up.

The stakes are simply too high for youth to remain unheard, for women to be sidelined, for persons with disabilities to be forgotten, for older persons to be silenced, and for workers to be ignored. Your voice matters. Your story matters. Your presence in leadership matters.

Even when it feels like the system is designed to keep you out, every step you take toward participation is a challenge to that very system. Every form you pick up, every message you share, every person you inspire — it all counts.

According to the Electoral Commission’s published roadmap for the 2025–2026 general elections, nomination and verification processes for Special Interest Group elections are ongoing. Campaigns were conducted from Thursday, 12th, to Saturday, 14th, June 2025, and polling for the various SIGs commenced last week in all the 71,208 (seventy-one thousand two hundred and eight) villages across the country.

Polling for Village Older Persons Committees was conducted on 16th June, 2025; polling for Village PwD (PwD) Committees was on 17th June, 2025; while polling for Village Youth Committees was conducted on 19th June, 2025.

The next stage is the compilation of the Parish Ward SIDs registers, which has been completed, and the nomination of Parish/Ward SIGs Committee candidates is scheduled for 26th and 27th June, 2025. The parish campaign meetings will be conducted between 30th June 2025 and 5th July 2025; the polling date is 2nd July for Older Persons, 4th July for PWDs and 7th July for youth committees. A similar cycle will start for sub-counties and municipalities on various dates until the national level.

These are not just dates. They are windows of opportunity. They are moments history will look back on and ask — who showed up? Let that answer be you. Let it be your name, your face, your values, and your courage that lights the path for others. Because if Joseph’s story teaches us anything, it’s that our silence today builds the leaders we will regret tomorrow.

So don’t wait to be invited. Don’t wait to be funded. And above all, don’t fail to try. You are exactly who democracy is waiting for.