Uganda Votes 2026: Actors and Non Actors that Impact the Elections.

 By Lt Marjorie Ndagire Mutebi.

As Uganda heads towards the 2026 general elections, the country will face political interferences from internal and external forces including individuals, organisations, and donors:

Donors:

The donors include countries and institutions, particularly from the western world. These countries and institutions support Uganda in a number of ways including supplementing the country’s budget. The same donors will play key roles in the forthcoming 2026 general elections including funding them. However, as they fund the activity, they will also monitor what is happening before, during and after the general elections. Among the key donors is the United States, which is one of Uganda’s main donors. Lately, the US has imposed sanctions on key political figures in the country including the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Anita Among, and her husband, Hon. Moses Magogo. The sanctions have also affected serving members of the Police force.

The United Kingdom (UK) too, which is the former colonial master of Uganda will be interested in following the politics in 2026. The UK influences the local politics in Uganda because of the colonial legacy between the two countries.

The European Union  (EU) another block that is a key donor to Uganda will also keenly follow the political developments during the 2026 general elections in Uganda. In the past, the US, UK, and EU have sent delegations to monitor elections in Uganda. The World Bank too, another key donor of Uganda will also be keenly follow the general elections.

 Civil Society Organisations

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are non-profit, voluntary groups that are separate from the government and are formed by people in the social sphere. They can be local, national, or international in scope. CSOs are also known as non-governmental organisations (NGOs).These organisations include religious institutions, such as the Catholic and Anglican Church in Uganda, plus human rights organisations. CSOs monitor the government’s actions, and demand efficient public services. They also advocate for change by offering alternative policies to the government, private sector, and other institutions.

During the general elections, some of these organisations will collect information to generate special reports on human rights in the country. Donors often use these reports to make funding decisions for Uganda. If the reports are very negative, the donors may withdraw funding to key sectors or projects hence affecting the implementation of a crucial project in the country. The reverse is true where the reports are positive.

Neighboring countries

Uganda’s neighbors such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia among others may also be interested in what happens in the country during the 2026 general elections. This is because Uganda plays a significant role in pacifying the Eastern African region. Many of these countries will, therefore, keenly follow the 2026 Ugandan general elections since they have implications on their own social and political setups.

Uganda has also had hostile neighbors in the past who will be watching the 2026 general elections with keen interest. Good enough, the Ugandan government has lately improved its relations with most of her neighbours including Rwanda and the DRC. Thanks to the role of the different political and military players in Uganda whose intervention is responsible for these country’s peaceful co-existence with neighbours.

Ugandan Rebel groups

Rebel groups fighting the Ugandan government will also be interested in following the 2026 general elections. These groups include the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) based in the DRC, the defunct Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony, and Al Shabab who are based in Somalia. Rebel groups could be interested in causing instability during the general elections to discredit President Yoweri Museveni’s government. Some of these groups have terrorised Uganda and neighbouring countries such as South Sudan and the DRC. Uganda though has made significant strides in neutralizing these negative elements. The deployments in the DRC and the Central African Republic has dealt a significant blow to the activities of these insurgents.

Opposition politicians

The opposition must make known the feelings of those sectors of the society whose views may otherwise be ignored by the sitting government. That is why some in the opposition will also be keenly monitoring the 2026 general elections. The Opposition politicians have their funders and allies on the continent and in the western world who are also interested in the political developments in Uganda. That is why most of these politicians today deploy journalists and camera persons to record any activities during their campaign trails. During the 2026 general elections, they will collect any form of evidence pinning the government over failure to conduct a free and fair election. They will later use the recorded information on their cameras as evidence against the state. We have seen some politicians making movies about their previous campaign environment and premiering them before their funders in the Western capitals.

Spies within the security forces of Uganda

Uganda like all the other countries in the world has a spy network for its own security guarantees. However, among these spies, there are those who could play a traitor’s role. The traitor can be deployed by other countries or institutions to spy on their own country. These are often very active during critical moments such as the general elections. The traitors are a gun for hire, as they can be paid to spy on their own countries.

International journalists, researchers, artists, and investors

International journalists like researchers, artists, and investors play a crucial role in a country like Uganda. This category of people could be termed as external visitors or tourists who will also come to Uganda during the 2026 general elections for different purposes. The international journalists will come to cover the elections. Researchers will come to research about Uganda while investors will come for investment opportunities.

Uganda being a strategic country especially in the East African Region in terms of its location and relevancy, it is un deniable that all eyes will be on how best the country prepares itself for the forth coming elections and the outcome of the same elections. Relevant institutions must therefore be alert to ensure the country prepares adequately for the elections  and be on alert so that the enemies do not take advantage of the forth coming elections to antagonize and destabilize the country.