The four men who have handled polls since 1996

Elections have since 1996 become the basis of ensuring legitimacy of governments in Uganda as citizens cast their ballot every five years to choose their leaders.

On January 14 this year, eligible voters went to the polls to vote for their next President and Members of Parliament. The process, as mandated by the Constitution, was conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC) led by Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama.
Since 1996, four chairpersons have superintended over elections from which they have declared Mr Museveni winner. We take a look at them.
 
Stephen Akabway (1996 elections)

He was the first chairperson of an Interim Electoral Commission (IEC) who organised the 1996 General Election deputised by Ms Flora Nkurukenda. A permanent Electoral Commission was established through an act of Parliament in 1997.

The 1996 polling exercise was the first democratic election organised 10 years after President Museveni was ushered into power in 1986 following a five-year guerrilla war against the Milton Obote regime.
Akabway worked along with other members of the commission: Mr Charles Owor, Ms Margaret Sekajja, Mr Philip Idro, Ms Syda Bumba, and Mr Aziz K. Kasujja.

His first assignment saw him return Mr Museveni as the winner of the election with 74.3 per cent of the total votes cast after defeating DP’s Paul Ssemogerere and Mr Mayanja Kibirige. Mr Akabway had a short stint at the electoral body and retired in 1997.
 
Aziz  Kasujja (2001 elections)

Aziz Kasujja, now deceased, took over the leadership of the EC after the retirement of Mr Akabway in 1997. He organised the second set of elections under President Museveni in 2001.

In the elections, Dr Kizza Besigye, a former personal physician of Mr Museveni during the Bush War, shot to limelight when he challenged the latter for the top office in the land.

Kasujja, at the end of the electoral process, also returned Mr Museveni as the winner of the polls although this time, his winning percentage had dropped to 69.3 per cent.

After retiring from the commission in 2002, Kasujja was appointed Uganda’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia where he served until 2011 when he retired.
He died of cardiac arrest in 2016.
 
Badru Kiggundu (2006, 2011, 2016)

Mr Kiggundu was appointed the chairperson of the EC in 2002 with Sr Margaret Magoba as his deputy.  So far, he is the longest serving chairperson of the EC under President Museveni’s regime after being at the helm for 14 years. Mr Kiggundu organised three general elections, which all saw President Museveni emerge winner.

Mr Tom W. Buruku, Mr Stephen D. Ongaria, Dr Jenny B. Okello, Mr Joseph N. Biribonwa and Mr Sam Asiimwe Rwakoojo were the other commissioners serving alongside Mr Kiggundu.
Mr Kiggundu first led the commission for seven years that saw him organise the 2006 general elections.

In this election, Mr Museveni scored 59.3 per cent of the total votes, again beating his closest rival, Dr Besigye.
Mr Kiggundu’s term of office was extended for another seven years, which saw him organise two more elections in 2011 and 2016 before he retired into other government assignments.

He is now the chairperson of the presidential select committee responsible for the supervision of the successful completion of both Isimba and Karuma hydro power dams.
In all the three general polls that he presided over, Dr Besigye was the runner-up.
 
Simon Byabakama (2021 elections)

The Court of Appeal judge was appointed the chairperson of the Electoral Commission in November 2016 upon the expiry of Mr Kiggundu’s second term of office.

Justice Byabakama presided over the 2021 general election. Just like his predecessors, he returned Mr Museveni as the winner with 58.38 per cent after he defeated Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, who garnered 35 per cent.