Govt workers have one year to resign for 2026 elections
Residents of Kampala line up to cast their votes during the 2021 General Election. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- The law demands that a public servant wishing to stand for elections as MP shall resign his or her office at least 90 days before nomination day.
With the clock racing towards the 2026 General Election, government employees eyeing parliamentary seats are left with barely 12 months to resign their positions.
Nomination dates for public servants wishing to run for the MP seats are set for September 16 to 17, 2025.
The law demands that a public servant wishing to stand for elections as MP shall resign his or her office at least 90 days before nomination day. The resignation deadline for public servants interested in contesting for the 2026 MP elections has been set for Friday, June 13, 2025.
Section 4(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, says any public officer or a person employed in any government department or agency or an employee of a local government or anybody in which the government has controlling interest, who wishes to stand, for election as an MP shall in the case of a general election, resign his or her office at least 90 days before nomination day.
Similarly, public servants interested in standing for local government positions are expected to resign by Saturday, August 2, 2025.
Section 116(5) of Local Governments (Amendment) Act, 2005, says any public officer or a person employed in any government department or agency of the government or an employee of a local government or anybody in which the government has controlling interest, who wishes to stand for election to a local government office shall resign his or her office at least 30 days before nomination day in accordance with the procedure of the service or employment to which he or she belongs.
Nomination of candidates for local government positions including Special Interest Groups (SIGs) will be done from September 3 to 12, 2025.
The EC launched the 2026 polls roadmap on August 2, 2023, in Kampala.
The EC roadmap for 2022/2023 to 2026/2027 says the nomination of candidates for Presidential Elections will take place from October 2 to October 3, 2025.
What law says
Section 4(6) of the Presidential Elections Act, 2005, says a public officer or a person employed in any government department or agency of the government or an employee of a local government or anybody in which the government has controlling interest, who wishes to stand for election as President shall resign his or her office before nomination day. The provision does not affect the incumbent who has to continue running the affairs of the country.
These activities are a build-up to the 2026 polling dates for Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Government elections that will be held from January 12 to February 9, 2026.
The poll body will need Shs1.3b to conduct the 2026 General Election as part of the sum of Shs2.4 trillion required to implement its 2022/2023 to 2026/2027 strategic plan.
The EC officials have previously told Daily Monitor that the projected increase in the number of parliamentary and local government constituencies are likely to push upwards the costs of the coming elections.
A total of 557 members make up the 11th Parliament. These include 353 lawmakers representing different constituencies, district woman representatives (146), Uganda People’s Defence Forces representatives (10), youth representatives (5), workers representatives (5), Persons with Disabilities representatives (5), those representing elderly persons (5) and ex-officio members (28).
Senior lawyer Caleb Alaka said the reason for resignation is to create a level political playground for all the competitors.
Justification
“Ordinarily, if you are a public servant, you have access to all kinds of resources, including money, cars and so on. When you do not resign, you will have undue advantage over other competitors,” Mr Alaka said.
“For example, if someone is a General in the army and does not re-sign, they will have access to the military, and free fuel, among other benefits and will carry more advantages over other participants,” he added.
A section of members of the public backed the provisions, reasoning that they encourage fairness in the campaigns.
“This is good news because such laws encourage fairness and healthy competition among participants,” Mr Baron Musinguzi told Daily Monitor.
The poll road map
• Nomination for public servants vying for Presidential Elections: October 2 to October 3, 2025. Public servants wishing to stand for elections as President shall resign his or her office before nomination day.
• Nomination dates for public servants vying for Parliamentary elections: September 16 to September 17, 2025. Public servants wishing to stand for elections as a Member of Parliament shall resign his or her office at least 90 days before nomination day.
• Nomination dates for public servants running for Local Government elections: September 3 to September 12. Government workers wishing to stand for election to a local government office shall resign his or her office at least 30 days before nomination day in accordance with the procedure of the service or employment to which he or she belongs.
Source: Electoral Commission 2022/2023 to 2026/2027 strategic plan
