The Electoral Commission has announced that fresh parliamentary voting will take place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in areas where elections were earlier halted due to serious irregularities.
The affected constituencies are Kibanda North in Kiryandongo District, Ibanda Municipality in Ibanda District, and selected polling stations in Ajuri County, Alebtong District. In Ajuri County, the fresh poll will be conducted at only 18 polling stations located in Awori, Acede, Ojul and Owalo parishes, where results were nullified.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi said all polling stations in Kibanda North and Ibanda Municipality will reopen for voting. Polling will run from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, after which votes will be counted and results announced at each polling station.
Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi said the Commission is fully ready to conduct the exercise and called on voters in the affected areas to come out in large numbers to cast their ballots. He also urged candidates, political parties and supporters to observe the law and maintain peace throughout the electoral process.
Mucunguzi added that political parties and independent candidates will be allowed to deploy polling agents at each station in accordance with electoral guidelines. He explained that polling stations will only be opened in the presence of at least ten voters, who will serve as witnesses during the opening of ballot boxes, as required by law.
Voting in Kibanda North and Ibanda Municipality was initially suspended on January 15, 2026, after the Commission discovered errors on ballot papers. In Ibanda Municipality, incorrect details of candidates were printed, forcing the Commission to stop the election and print new ballots.
In Kibanda North, the election was halted after officials realised that the name and photograph of Benjamin Lumansi, a candidate from the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party, were missing from the ballot paper. The Kiryandongo District Returning Officer, Rashid Musinguzi, said the omission was discovered during ballot verification on polling day and immediately reported to the Commission, which directed that voting be suspended. Lumansi later expressed shock over the error, noting that he had been properly nominated and cleared to contest.
Meanwhile, in Ajuri County, the Commission ordered a fresh vote in 18 polling stations following a complaint by Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) candidate Fred Jalameso. Jalameso raised concerns over discrepancies between results announced at polling stations and figures recorded on official Declaration Forms. A recount by the Regional Elections Officer, Jackson Igenyi Babirye, confirmed irregularities, leading to the cancellation of results from the affected stations.
Before the dispute, Jalameso was leading the race with 14,321 votes, representing 44.5 per cent, while incumbent Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua of the National Resistance Movement had 12,963 votes, or 40.25 per cent, based on results from 160 out of 178 polling stations.
The Electoral Commission says all logistical and security arrangements have been finalised to ensure the January 27 polls are conducted smoothly and transparently.
