Polling for village elections will be by open voting system. Courtesy PhotoCampaigns for Uganda’s long-awaited Local Council I (LC I) Chairperson and Village Women Committee elections officially got underway on Monday, with a generally subdued start in many parts of the country.The Electoral Commission (EC) launched campaigns for candidates contesting Village Women Committee positions, which will run until July 22 ahead of polling on July 23. Campaigns for LC I Chairperson candidates will continue until July 27, with voting scheduled for July 28.The exercise follows nominations conducted between July 15 and July 19 under the EC’s 2026 electoral roadmap issued by Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi. The elections cover Uganda’s 71,214 villages.The village polls are a key milestone in Uganda’s electoral cycle, as LC I leaders serve as the first point of contact between citizens and government. Established under Article 176 of the 1995 Constitution and operationalised through the Local Governments Act, Local Councils promote citizen participation, accountability and decentralised service delivery.LC I chairpersons oversee community security, mediate disputes, verify official documents, mobilise residents for government programmes and coordinate local development initiatives. Unlike parliamentary and presidential elections, LC I Chairperson elections are conducted through the open voting system, where voters line up behind a candidate, their agent, portrait or symbol.Despite the importance of the elections, campaigns opened quietly across much of the country, with many candidates opting for modest, low-cost mobilisation methods. In Kampala’s informal settlements, most candidates abandoned traditional rallies in favour of door-to-door campaigns, visiting homes, markets and businesses. Others relied on handheld public address systems to reach voters.In Kamwokya Market, independent candidate Juma Ssemanda campaigned among traders and patrons, promising to ensure that government wealth-creation programmes, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), benefit ordinary households.Meanwhile, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate for Kifumbira Village, Samuel Ainembabazi, traversed the densely populated community, pledging to prioritise security, peace, unity and community development if elected.In Arua City and District, several candidates postponed campaign launches because of limited resources. Candidates in Ezoova, Komite, Krab, Zebra, Kyongolia, Eruba and Yivu Ajono villages deferred public meetings, saying early campaigns would quickly exhaust their limited budgets.Some opposition candidates said they were waiting for financial support from their political parties, while others noted that prolonged campaigning was simply unaffordable. The rising cost of campaigning is also affecting voter participation.Agnes Namubiru, a voter from Kyaliwajjala B Cell, said attendance at campaign meetings increasingly depends on whether candidates can facilitate gatherings. Her remarks bring out concerns about the cost of grassroots elections despite LC I leadership remaining largely a community service role with modest financial benefits.In Kampala’s Kisenyi II Parish, rapid urbanisation has also forced candidates to rethink their campaign strategies after traditional rally grounds were converted into commercial premises. Diriisa Fred Musoke, the incumbent Chairperson of Kiganda Zone, said the disappearance of public spaces had left household campaigns as the only practical option.Seeking what he describes as his final term, Musoke said he intends to mentor younger leaders to take over in future. He credited his leadership with improving neighbourhood security, saying crime has significantly declined since he assumed office in 2018.In neighbouring Kakajjo Zone, incumbent Godfrey Kakande is facing a challenge from his former Defence Secretary in one of the parish’s closely watched contests. Kakande said the area’s only available public space is too small to accommodate the many candidates contesting village positions, making personalised campaigns unavoidable.In Shauriyako B Village, NUP candidate Lukyamuzi Ken focused his campaign on improving the livelihoods of informal traders operating along verandas and corridors because they cannot afford shop rent. Using a public address system while moving through downtown Kampala, Ken appealed to traders and residents to support his bid. Even so, campaigns across much of Kampala Central remained relatively quiet.Elsewhere, campaigns unveiled a contest between experienced leaders and a new generation of aspirants. In Gulu City, 70-year-old NRM flagbearer Acellam Denis officially launched his campaign for another term as LC I Chairperson of Teko Cell in Layibi Go-Down Parish, a position he has held continuously since 1991.Acellam described the role as one of sacrifice and appealed to the government to increase the monthly allowance to 500,000. Meanwhile, several villages in Gulu City, including Bus Park A, B and C Cells, returned NRM candidates unopposed.The NRM party, through the Office of the National Chairperson (ONC) led by Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, has deployed coordinators across the country to mobilise support and monitor the implementation of government programmes.Opposition parties, including the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), say they have also fielded candidates in several districts. However, UPC has renewed its opposition to the open voting system. Party spokesperson Faisal Muzeyi argued that lining up behind candidates exposes voters to intimidation and risks creating divisions within communities.As campaigns gather momentum, Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi has urged candidates, supporters and voters to conduct themselves peacefully, obey electoral laws and focus on issue-based campaigns.-URNThe post Power to the Grassroots: LC1 and Women Council Campaigns Sweep Across Uganda appeared first on Business Focus.