Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) has officially engaged a mix of local and international printing firms to produce ballot papers for the 2026 General Elections, a critical step in ensuring a transparent and credible electoral process.

The EC confirmed that the contracted firms include Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing LLC (Dubai, UAE) for presidential and parliamentary ballots, UniPrint (Durban, South Africa) for sub-county chairpersons, Inform Lykos (Athens, Greece) for certain local council positions, and Sintel Security (Nairobi, Kenya) for Special Interest Group (SIG) elections. Locally, Picfare Industries Ltd and Graphics Systems Ltd in Kampala will handle ballots for municipal and city division elections.

“The production of ballot papers for the various elective positions is a priority and is being coordinated closely with the assigned firms,” said the EC Chairperson. “Political parties are also required to submit names of their accredited agents who will witness delivery of ballot boxes, ensuring full transparency.”

Recent media reports clarify that while the EC has procured and assigned printing responsibilities, the physical printing of ballots is still pending final verification of candidate nominations in affected constituencies. This measure ensures that all candidates listed on the ballots are officially cleared to contest their respective positions.

Election experts say the use of multiple reputable international and local firms, combined with oversight by accredited party agents, is a strategic approach to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. They note that these steps are crucial for preventing errors, delays, and disputes during the highly anticipated elections.

The EC continues to stress that ballot production, along with other preparatory activities such as the deployment of Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs), is part of a larger roadmap to deliver free, fair, and credible elections between January 15 and February 6, 2026.