The speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among has petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to gazette her as an unopposed candidate ahead of the January 2026 general elections.
In a letter dated October 31, 2025, filed through Alaka and Company Advocates, Among and several other members of parliament requested the EC to publish the names of candidates declared elected unopposed as legislators for the 12th parliament (2026–2031).
Among those listed alongside Among are deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North), Catherine Akumu Mavenjina (Older Persons, Northern Uganda), and Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (Kiruhura Woman MP), among others.
The EC conducted nationwide nominations for directly elected and district Women MPs on October 22 and 23, 2025. At the close of the exercise, the listed candidates were declared unopposed in accordance with Section 31(1)(b) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap. 177), which provides that if only one candidate is validly nominated, they are deemed elected without a poll.
The request comes amid ongoing hearings before the EC tribunal, where several aggrieved aspirants have filed petitions contesting unopposed declarations. One of the most high-profile challenges comes from Norma Susan Otai, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate for Bukedea Woman MP, who is seeking to nullify Among’s unopposed declaration.
Otai told the tribunal on Tuesday that she was unlawfully blocked from submitting her nomination papers on October 23, claiming that police and electoral officials denied opposition candidates access to the nomination centre.
She argues that this action infringed on her constitutional right to stand for election and wants the tribunal to extend the nomination period to allow her participation. Asked about Among’s gazetting request, EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said the commission still has time to gazette unopposed candidates before the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 15, 2026.
“The electoral laws relating to nominations of candidates for any elective position anticipate that at the closure of nominations, there may be situations where only one candidate has been successfully nominated and in that case, the returning officer will announce that such a candidate who has been nominated unopposed is the duly elected member of parliament, or any other position, effective the date of the elections. In which case, now, it will be effective on 15th January 2026,” Mucunguzi explained.
He reiterated that the EC is “fully aware of its legal obligations” and would gazette the unopposed winners in due course. According to EC data, 2,711 candidates were nominated for 519 parliamentary seats, including 353 directly elected MPs, 146 District Women representatives, 20 special interest group seats, and 10 UPDF representatives. Parliamentary campaigns officially begin on November 10, 2025, ahead of the January 2026 general elections.
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