KAMPALA. This morning, the Uganda Electoral Commission is starting to nominate presidential candidates, setting the stage for a hotly contested race ahead of next January’s General Election.
By Tuesday morning, only five of the 38 presidential hopefuls had been cleared to get nominated.
The five candidates are Yoweri Museveni, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine of National Unity Platform (NUP) , Nathan Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) , Elton Joseph Mabirizi of Conservative Party (CP) and Robert Kasibante of National Peasants Party (NPP) .
Today, it is Museveni,81 among those to be nominated and later hold a rally at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. Kyagulanyi will be nominated on Wednesday and later hold a rally at Kaala playground in Nateete , the outskirts of Kampala.
This is Museveni’s fifth presidential election under multiparty democracy that started in 2006,and the seventh election ever since he shot his way to State House in January1986. For Kyagulanyi, this is his second attempt to uproot Museveni and the same for Mabirizi, while other contenders are joining the race for the first time.
EC chairperson Simon Byabakama said presidential campaigns will kick off on September 29 and close on January 12.