This LC Election Belongs to the Youth

Tuesday, 28th July 2026, Ugandans will go to the polls to elect Local Council leaders. From village to sub-county, these are the leaders who will decide how the Nakivubo drainage is cleared, how your market in Bulo Butambala is run, and how disputes in a rural community of kiduumule in Gomba are settled. Yet every election cycle, we see the same story: long queues of elders, and
empty spaces where the youth should be.

This must change.
The LC system is not about big politics in the capital. It is about your street. Your village. Your parish. It is the closest level of government to the people. If you are tired of bad roads, poor sanitation, or leaders who do not listen, the LC office is
where you start the fix. We believe that Uganda’s future will be decided not in Parliament first, but in the villages. And with over 70% of Uganda’s population under 30, the youth are not just the future. They are the present.

When young people stay home on voting day, they hand over decisions about their jobs, their businesses, and their security to others. When young people line up, they force candidates to address issues that matter: unemployment, digital access,
sports facilities, securing the 30% portion of the PDM money the youths are entitled to and accountable leadership.

We are not asking you to vote for any one candidate. We are asking you to vote. Line up. Carry your national ID. Listen to the candidates. Ask them hard questions. Then make your choice.

To the Electoral Commission: ensure polling stations open on time and are accessible.
To candidates: run campaigns of ideas, not insults.
To the youth: this is your community. Own it.

The stamp of leadership should not be hidden in anyone’s bag. It belongs to
the people. And on 28th July, the people must show up.
Vote. Be counted. Shape your community.

By Meddy Walusimbi Omuyiribi (medywalusimbi@gmail.com)