By Aggrey Baba
[The voice of the marginalized will be heard in the next general elections, starting June 2025]
The Electoral Commission (EC) has released a full programme for the 2025/2026 elections for Special Interest Groups (SIGs), giving clarity and momentum to a voting process that will stretch from the smallest village corner to the national stage.
The roadmap covers Older Persons, Persons with Disabilities, and Youth, ensuring their voices echo through parish halls, district chambers, and finally into national councils.
It all kicks off on June 2, when nominations for village SIG committees begin, with campaigns to follow a few days later, and by mid-June, the first rounds of voting will be underway.
For the elderly, the disabled, and the youth, this is their moment to step forward, not just as voters, but as leaders in their own right.
While the general population gears up for 2026, these special interest groups are getting their own timelines, each group carefully slotted into a structured schedule that runs until late August, a calendar that leaves little to chance and little room for confusion.
Like planting season in a rural homestead, each stage builds on the other. Village committees are first, then parish, sub-county, and municipal levels, all the way to national councils, and the National Youth Council elections will mark one of the final chapters in this marathon, slated for the end of August.
The EC is betting that an inclusive and structured process will produce strong representation for groups that are often brushed aside in political conversations.
Justice Simon Byabakama, EC Chairperson, said the programme is a call to duty for both the public and leaders at every level, encouraging all eligible participants to take part in the process responsibly and to respect the set timelines.
The release of this roadmap has already sparked mobilization efforts across the country, with community leaders, civil society groups, and youth organizations beginning preparations for the various nomination and polling dates. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
