Trio of Muslim Candidates Steps into Presidential Arena

Abdul-Wahid Kakande

If all goes to plan, at least three Muslims will be among those vying for the office of the president in the forthcoming 2026 general elections, an attempt that was last made by ex- Local Governments minister Jaberi Bidandi-Ssali in the 2011 general elections.

The three Muslims that are determined to walk into the shadow of Bidandi-Ssali and Justice Forum’s Muhammad Kibirige Mayanja, the first Muslim to make an attempt for the top office in the country include Muhammad Nsereko, the incumbent Kampala Central MP, Mubarak Munyagwa, the ex-Kawempe South MP and Kasim Male Buule, an independent candidate.

The trio is among the 30 presidential hopefuls that have since returned their nomination forms with the accompanying signatures to the Electoral Commission (EC) for verification.

If the trio is approved by the EC to run for the presidency, this will be the first time to have more than one Muslim on the presidential ballot.

For a person to be approved by the Electoral Commission as a presidential candidate, he or she has to collect and submit 9,800 signatures of would-be supporters from at least 98 districts, in addition to payment of Shs 20 million as nomination fees.

Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, the Electoral Commission chairperson confirmed that by Wednesday, 30 presidential hopefuls had returned the nomination forms with the accompanying signatures.

Byabakama, however, expressed concern that some of the signatures that had been submitted for verification by some of the candidates were for the underage people while some were switched from one district to another.

“We shall cancel all the signatures of underage people and those that were swapped from one district to another,” Byabakama warned.

He said it is only candidates with approved signatures that will be nominated for the top office in the country. The nomination has been scheduled for September 23 and 24.

Idi Amin Dada remains the only Muslim that has ruled Uganda since the country gained its independence from the British on October 9, 1962.

Amin seized power in 1971 through a military coup and ruled for eight years until 1979 when he was overthrown.

Recently, Prince Kassim Nakibinge Kakungulu, the titular head of the Muslim community in Uganda urged Muslims to fully participate in politics so that they are not left behind. This is believed to have encouraged the trio to eye for the top office.

Who are they?

Nsereko

Born on August, 25, 1981, Nsereko is a professional and registered lawyer. He has been an MP since 2011. He is the president of the Ecological Party of Uganda. Having been an MP for over two terms, Nsereko believes that he is a suitable candidate for the top office.

Munyagwa

The 46-year-old is a seasoned politician and trained Mathematics teacher. He served as the Kawempe mayor before representing Kawempe South in Parliament. He is backed by the Common Man’s Party (CMP) in the race.

Munyagwa is largely known for his comics in political activism. However, not much is known about Buule.

220 individuals collected nomination forms last month, 11 representing political parties.