2026 polls: Mugisha Muntu launches second presidential bid

KAMPALA - Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu has again been nominated for president in the 2026 general election, making a second attempt to run for the country’s highest office.

The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party electoral commission chairpeson Dan Mugarura nominated Muntu at their headquarters in Bukoto, Kampala on Friday, July 25.

By the time of writing this story, Muntu, whose party early this month joined forces with the newly formed People’s Front for Freedom to boost their chances of winning, had started addressing the media following his nomination.

On March 18, 2025, Uganda’s longest-serving army commander said he does not want to just “pop up on the ballot” in next year’s election because it has many challenges.

He said this after being asked by one of his supporters on X, formerly Twitter, to do them a favour and appear on the ballot in 2026 because Uganda needs him for the “big shift” of political transition.

Muntu, who performed dismally in the 2021 presidential election after garnering 67,574 votes (0.65%), told his supporter, Gratian Nareebah, that they also need to focus a lot on party organisational work.

He said party organisational work involves brand building, communications, fundraising, candidate selection and preparation, among others.

“Just popping up on the ballot alone has its many challenges. The reason why we are currently focusing on organisational work,” Uganda’s longest-ever serving army commander said.

Catherine Namuga, another follower on X, said ANT should up its game and that it is “very sad” that Muntu “never gives us morale”.

“Catherine, when we lift, we will soar. You will feel proud of what ANT will do. It will be so self-evident that you will not need to argue with anybody. In the meantime, remain hopeful and be resilient,” he said.

Muntu added that “unfortunately, struggles of this nature tend not [to] be like walks in the park”.

He also told another follower that there has to be political formations in which the dominant tendency is of leaders who believe in good governance.

“Short of that, the next lot won’t be much different. And the lot after, until we have leaders who are capable of breaking us out of this vicious cycle. Build such formations,” he told government critic Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who is self-exiled in Germany.

The 2021 presidential election that attracted 11 candidates saw incumbent Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement carry the day with 58.38% votes.

Many analysts say Muntu is a long-distance runner whose project is long-term and didn’t seem to be bothered by the short-term gains of the last elections.

They explain that if he moves one step, he will congratulate himself, and if he moves two steps, he will also give himself a pat on the back.