2026 POLLS : Profiles of the  8 Faces Battling for State House Seat

2026 POLLS : Profiles of the  8 Faces Battling for State House Seat

Yoweri Museveni

Yoweri Museveni is the President of Uganda and has been confirmed to run for a seventh term in the upcoming January 2026 elections. Now 81, he is one of the world’s longest-serving non-royal national leaders, having been in power since 1986.

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party officially endorsed Museveni as its presidential candidate for the 2026-2031 term in September 2025.Museveni has emphasized continued economic growth, poverty reduction through wealth creation, and improvements in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.The previous election in 2021 was heavily contested, with opposition alleging fraud after Museveni won with a smaller margin of victory than in previous years.A constitutional amendment in 2017 removed the presidential age limit of 75, paving  Museveni  (15 September 1944) is a  former military officer, and who, since 1986, is the ninth president of Uganda. As of 2025, he is the third-longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world (after Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea and Paul Biya in Cameroon).

Born in Ntungamo, Museveni studied political science from the University of Dar es Salaam where he initiated the University Students’ African Revolutionary Front. In 1972, he participated in the abortive invasion of Uganda against the regime of President Idi Amin.

Robert Kyagulanyi

Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known by his stage name Bobi Wine, is a Ugandan musician, politician, and activist. He is the president of the opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), and has been nominated as a presidential candidate for the 2026 Ugandan general elections. He also leads the National Unity Platform political party. In June 2019, he announced his candidacy for the 2021 Ugandan presidential election. He participated in the 2021 election, in which, according to official results, he lost to incumbent Yoweri Museveni, although he claims this result was fraudulent. On 14 December 2021, he was placed under house arrest by the Government of Uganda, he then continued to protest his arrest. He later went abroad where he publicized through a documentary “the corruption involved in the 2021 election.” Upon his return to Uganda on 5 October 2023, he was arrested. The Peabody Award-winning documentary film Bobi Wine: The People’s President chronicled his treacherous journey during the 2021 election.

Born Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu on 12 February 1982 to the Jackson Willington Ssentamu in a family of 34. He was born in Nkozi Hospital, where his mother, Margaret Nalunkuuma worked as a midwife. He grew up in the Kamwokya slum in the northeastern part of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

Wine attended Kitante Hill School, where he attained his Uganda Certificate of Education in 1996, as well as Kololo Senior Secondary School, where he attained his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education in 1998. He then attended Makerere University in Kampala, where he studied music, dance, and drama, graduating with a diploma in 2003. In 2016, Wine joined the International University of East Africa for a Bachelor of Laws degree. Following the advice of his constitutional law lecturer, David Lewis Rubongoya, he transferred from IUEA, which was not fully accredited to teach law at the time, to Cavendish University, which was already accredited. He graduated from Cavendish University in August 2024.

Bobi Wine seeks to unseat Yoweri Museveni for the second time through contesting in the 2026 presidential elections.

Robert Kasibante

Robert Kasibante is a Ugandan politician, businessman, and vocational trainer who is a candidate in the 2026 Ugandan presidential election. Kasibante was successfully nominated by Uganda’s Electoral Commission in September 2025 to contest the 2026 presidential election. He represents the National Peasants Party (NPP), whose leader is musician Stecia Mayanja.

In September 2025, his campaign faced scrutiny over irregular signatures, but he was ultimately cleared. In July 2022, he was remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of forgery and obtaining money by false pretenses related to an alleged US visa fraud scheme. Born in 1988 in Busujju, Mityana District, Kasibante is one of the younger contenders in the 2026 race. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Makerere University Business School (Mubs). After university, he turned to vocational training and entrepreneurship. In 2015, he founded the Victory School of Beauty and Hospitality Management, which has trained thousands of young people. His success in skills training led to him serving as the president of World Skills Africa, a continental body promoting technical and vocational education.

Nandala Mafabi

Nathan James Nandala Mafabi (born 17 January 1966) is a Ugandan accountant, lawyer, politician and legislator who is representing Budadiri West County in Sironko District in the Ugandan parliament. From May 2011 until January 2014, he was the leader of the opposition in the parliament.After attending local primary schools, he transferred to Mbale secondary school for his O-Level studies. For his A-Level education, he attended Busoga College Mwiri in Jinja District. He graduated from Makerere University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Statistics and Economics degree. He followed that with a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 1989, also from Makerere. In 1993, he obtained a Diploma in Income Tax Administration from the Uganda Management Institute in Kampala. In 1993, he passed the certified public accountant examinations in both Kenya and Uganda. In 1995, he was admitted to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants as a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. In 1997, he went back to Makerere University, graduating in 2000 with a Master of Arts in Economics followed by a Bachelor of Laws in 2006.

In 1988, he was hired as a tax assessor with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), serving in that capacity until 1993. From 1993 until 1994, he worked as a revenue officer. He was promoted to senior revenue officer in 1995, working in that capacity until 1996. He worked as a principal revenue officer at URA in 1997.

From 1998 until 2000, he worked as the senior principal revenue officer and acting chief internal auditor at URA. From 2000 until 2001, he worked as a financial management consultant in the private sector.

In 2001, he entered Uganda’s elective politics by contesting the Budadiri County West parliamentary constituency. He won and was re-elected in 2011. From 2006 until 2011, Mafabi served as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the parliament. From 2001 until 2006, he served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Economy. Since 2008, he has served as the chairman of the Bugisu Cooperative Union. From 2011 until 2020, he served as the leader of the opposition. Honorable Nathan Nandala Mafabi is also the Vice-Chair of The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & International Monetary Fund. On 24th September, Hon. Nathan James Nandala Mafabi was nominated to contest for the Presidency by the Electoral Commision of Uganda.

Joseph Mabirizi

Elton Joseph Mabirizi is a Ugandan electrical engineer, evangelist, and politician who has been nominated to run for president in the 2026 general election. He previously contested as an independent candidate in the 2016 presidential election. On September 23, 2025, after a initial delay regarding academic issues, Mabirizi was successfully nominated by the Electoral Commission as the presidential candidate for the Conservative Party (CP). He becomes one of the candidates approved to challenge incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.

His official nomination marked a dramatic return to the political stage, having previously run for president nearly a decade ago. He is often referred to by his nickname, “Mabreeze”.

2016 presidential run: In his previous run, Mabirizi campaigned on a platform that included freeing “innocent youth” from prison and seizing the property of individuals found guilty of corruption. Mabirizi holds an advanced diploma in electrical engineering science from City and Guilds, and another diploma from Bloemfontein, South Africa.He is also a self-styled evangelist with the Ambassadors of Jesus Christ Church.

Frank Bulira

Frank Bulira Kabinga is a Ugandan politician and the presidential candidate for the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) in the 2026 general election. A former secondary school teacher, he was officially nominated by the Electoral Commission in September 2025. Bulira was the eighth and final candidate to be nominated, joining seven others in the contest for the presidency. A veteran politician and leader of the Uganda Federal Democratic Organization (UFDO), Bulira is a strong advocate for federalism and other governance reforms. In mid-September 2025, he made headlines for submitting endorsement signatures from at least 113 districts across Uganda, a decisive step in his campaign.His campaign is characterized by the clear message, “Like many others, Museveni must go”.

Born in 1982 Rubaga, Bulira was raised in Luweero. He completed his primary education in 1999 at Kasubi Church of Uganda Primary School before attending Mengo Senior School and Old Kampala Secondary School. He graduated from Kyambogo University in 2005 and later worked as a secondary school teacher. His interest in public service began at a young age and was inspired by his late grandfather, Milton Kabinga, a former National Resistance Army (NRA) soldier. While at university, Bulira served as the national youth spokesperson for the Democratic Party.He took over leadership of the UFDO in 2023 following the death of its founder, Aggrey Kiyingi.

Mugisha Muntuyera

Gregory Mugisha Muntuyera, commonly referred to as Mugisha Muntu, is a Ugandan politician and retired military officer. He is the current president of the Alliance for National Transformation, a political party he founded in March 2019.

He was officially nominated on September 24, 2025.Muntu is known for his calm, values-based political approach and his focus on addressing governance issues. In his campaign, he has criticized the current government for its failure to convert the country’s wealth into prosperity and has emphasized the need for honest leadership.  This is Muntu’s second time running for president. The ANT has also formed an alliance with the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) to jointly front a single candidate where possible.

Mubarak Munyagwa

Mubarak Munyagwa is a Ugandan politician, lawyer, and former Member of Parliament for Kawempe South, who was recently nominated as a presidential candidate for the 2026 Ugandan general election. He is the president of the newly launched Common Man’s Party (CMP).In July 2025, Munyagwa launched the Common Man’s Party (CMP), formerly known as the Uganda Economic Party. During the launch, he was sworn in as the party’s president.In June 2024, Munyagwa announced his departure from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), citing “poor management” within the party leadership. Munyagwa served as the Mayor of Kawempe Division from 2011 to 2016 and as a Member of Parliament for Kawempe South from 2016 to 2021.Munyagwa gained national attention for his role in the 2011 “Walk to Work” protests against rising fuel and food prices.He is commonly known as “Mugati gwa bata”.