By The Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) have accused the Electoral Commission of deliberately shielding fraudulent actions within the Democratic Party (DP), following the disputed Delegates Conference held in Mbarara last month.
Addressing a press conference in Kampala on Monday, UYD President Emeritus and Secretary General-elect, Kirya Ismael, sharply criticized the Commission’s continued silence on more than 10 petitions submitted by aggrieved DP leaders and district chairpersons. The petitions sought intervention over what they described as “the most fraudulent internal party election in Uganda’s history.”
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“We petitioned the Electoral Commission before the Mbarara sham, warning them about forged amendments to our party constitution. They ignored us. The conference went ahead illegally, and now the Commission is pretending not to see the mess they helped create,” Kirya charged.
Kirya explained that the DP Delegates Conference in Mbarara was convened using constitutional amendments that were never discussed or adopted at the previous Gulu Delegates Conference in direct violation of Article 15 Section 3(b) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act.
He said the EC failed in its duty as the regulator of political parties by gazetting the forged documents, enabling a fraudulent conference that produced what he called an “illegitimate leadership.”
Kirya further accused the new DP faction of openly soliciting money from individuals hoping to contest on the party’s ticket in the 2026 elections, despite not being gazetted or legally recognized.
“They are collecting money from aspirants, knowing very well that they hold no legal mandate. It’s daylight fraud, and the Electoral Commission is watching silently,” he said.
UYD also claims the EC is now under pressure from high-level political actors — particularly from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs — to throw out all the petitions without giving the complainants a fair hearing.
“We now know there’s pressure from above. But if the EC can be intimidated over a party matter, what should we expect in a national election?” Kirya asked.
Kirya concluded by giving the Electoral Commission seven days to begin addressing the DP petitions or face consequences.
“We shall not take the blame for our next course of action if the Commission continues to play blind. We demand fairness, independence, and the rule of law,” he warned.
The Electoral Commission has not yet responded to the UYD’s claims. The unfolding standoff now adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to Uganda’s already fractious political landscape ahead of the 2026 general elections.
