Uganda sets dates for EALA by-election

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Parliament of Uganda has released the official roadmap for by-elections to fill two vacant seats in the 5th East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

The vacancies were created following the January 15, 2026, general elections, where two sitting EALA members, Dennis Namara and Kakooza James Mutagubya, successfully vied for seats in the Parliament of Uganda.

Namara was elected as the Buyaga West MP (Kagadi District), while Kakooza now represents the elderly for the Central Region. Under the EAC Treaty, an individual cannot hold a seat in a national parliament and the regional assembly simultaneously.

This by-election coincides with a major shift in the East African Community’s operations. Upon assuming the EAC Chairmanship in March 2026, President Museveni oversaw the endorsement of a critical reform, including member states directly paying the salaries and allowances of their respective EALA MPs.

Previously, these costs were drawn from the central EAC budget, which has long been strained by contribution arrears from member states totaling over USD 89 million.

This directive aims to reduce the financial burden on the EAC Secretariat, ensure consistent pay for legislators, independent of the bloc’s fluctuating liquidity, and increase accountability of the MPs to their home taxpayers.

According to the formal notice issues by the Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesige Kasaija, picking of nomination forms starts on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 ahead of the nomination exercise between Monday, March 30 and Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at the Parliamentary Conference Hall, Parliamentary Buildings. Voting will be conducted on April 15, 2026.

The successful candidates will serve the remainder of the 5th Assembly’s term, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2027. With the new funding model in place, the incoming representatives will be the first Ugandan EALA members to be fully bankrolled by the Ugandan Treasury rather than the Arusha-based Secretariat.