Uganda’s 2026 presidential campaign is officially in motion, with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni confirmed as the ruling party’s candidate and opposition groups rapidly mobilizing to challenge his decades-long grip on power. On August 19, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) unveiled Museveni’s official campaign portrait, presented by senior party leaders Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo and Richard Todwong. The 79-year-old president, in power since 1986, is seeking another term despite growing calls for generational change.
Just a day earlier, the opposition made its own bold entry. The National Unity Platform (NUP) and the Democratic Party (DP) collected presidential nomination forms from the Electoral Commission. NUP leaders, including Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya and Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, rallied supporters with the slogan “New Uganda Now,” promising sweeping democratic reforms and warning against the kind of electoral irregularities raids, intimidation, and ballot theft that marred past polls. According to the Electoral Commission, interest in the 2026 race is already unprecedented: by August 18, at least 177 potential candidates had picked up nomination forms, signaling one of the most competitive elections in Uganda’s history.
Museveni’s NRM has framed its campaign around stability, economic growth, and security, highlighting infrastructure projects and regional peace efforts. Meanwhile, the opposition is banking on youth frustration Uganda’s median age is just 16 and rising discontent over unemployment, corruption, and repression of dissent. The campaign period is expected to be heated, with both camps preparing for a high-stakes battle that could shape Uganda’s political future for years to come.
