Uganda’s 2026 presidential race is shaping into a dramatic face-off, with National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, confirming that his nomination will fall on the same day as President Yoweri Museveni’s.
Both candidates are scheduled to appear before the Electoral Commission at its new headquarters in Bwebajja on Tuesday, 23rd September.
The development sets the stage for a symbolic clash between the incumbent and his fiercest challenger right from the start of the campaign season.
Bobi Wine confirmed the date on Thursday at the NUP headquarters and outlined his immediate campaign plans.
“Nomination for President Tuesday, 23rd September. We’ll have two rallies thereafter: at Katwe and at Nateete,” he wrote on his X account.
The opposition leader emphasized that his party has already followed the legal procedures to organize the post-nomination rallies.
“This morning, we notified Uganda Police and the Electoral Commission about our intention to hold two public rallies immediately after the nomination of our Presidential Candidate, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert. The first rally will be held at Katwe Grounds and the second at Kaala Playground in Nateete,” Bobi Wine said.
He directly appealed to security agencies to avoid disrupting opposition activities, pointing to Museveni’s parallel plans on the same day.
“We are aware that Museveni and his people will be holding their post-nomination rally and Kololo and hope the police will not act criminally and seek to interfere with our activities,” he added.
President Museveni, seeking re-election under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), will address his supporters at Kololo Independence Grounds after his nomination.
The parallel events are likely to test the Electoral Commission’s ability to manage logistics and security on a day that pits the two frontrunners against each other in Kampala’s political theatre.
