The Parliament of Uganda has been told that long-delayed elections for Local Councils 1 and 2 will take place by the end of April 2026.
State Minister for Local Government Victoria Rusoke made the announcement during a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Annet Among on March 12, 2026.
The current LC1 and LC2 leaders were elected in 2018. Their term ended in 2023. Since then, the elections have been postponed six times.
Rusoke told the House that preparations are underway and districts have already received information about the elections.
“I want to confirm to this House that elections of LCs 1 and 2, and Women Councils were properly scheduled and this information has reached the districts,” Rusoke said.
The issue was raised by Kiboga East MP Keefa Kiwanuka, who asked the government to give clear election dates. He said mixed messages from officials have created confusion about the process.
“The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Byabakama, told us that money had been released, however, shortly, the Ministry of Local Government indicated that there was a funding shortfall of Shs58 billion. This was followed by a statement by Cabinet, indicating that the elections will be held in March and April,” Kiwanuka said.
He added: “Can we have confirmation whether the money was released. Can we also have confirmation when these elections will be held?”
Kiwanuka warned that repeated postponements have weakened local governance structures. He said the country is relying on leaders whose mandate has already expired.
“Whereas LC 1 and 2 systems are critical in implementation of government programmes, we are now consistently relying on arguably un-elected structures,” he said.
Speaker Among also questioned the delays. She said the absence of elected local leaders weakens democracy.
“We need confirmation if we are going to have elections, what is the shortage, and if it is there, it was approved by Cabinet. Why are we not releasing that money,” she said.
She added: “EC said they had received funding, so which shortage is there, why are we not releasing that money?”
Rusoke did not give the exact dates for the elections. Uganda has more than 70,000 villages, which are administered through LC1 and LC2 structures.
Summary: Government says LC1 and LC2 elections will be held by the end of April 2026 after years of delays.
