Uganda’s New EC Headquarters To Have International Hotel For Observers, Emergency Medical Services.
The Government of Uganda has started building a new, modern headquarters for the Electoral Commission (EC) at Lweza. This exciting project marks a big step in improving how elections are managed in the country. For years, the EC has operated without a permanent home. Since leaving its Jinja Road offices in 2022, the EC has been working from temporary offices in the Industrial Area. These current offices are small and cannot accommodate all staff, which has created many challenges in running election-related activities.
To solve this problem, President Yoweri Museveni directed the National Housing and Construction Company (NHCC), a government agency, to find suitable land and build a permanent and advanced home for the EC. He rejected an earlier plan to buy a building in Butabika for 60 billion shillings, saying the country needs something better and more suitable. NHCC found Lweza to be the perfect place for this new development because of its closeness to key roads like the Entebbe Expressway and its space for large buildings.
The groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction was led by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja. At the event, NHCC CEO Eng. Kenneth Kaijuka said the new EC headquarters will be the first of its kind in Africa. The building will be high-tech, secure, and self-contained. It will bring all EC operations together under one roof, which will reduce costs, improve transparency, and strengthen Uganda’s reputation in running fair elections.
The new complex will include many important features such as a printery for ballot papers so Uganda can print its own voting materials, a modern center for nominations and vote tallying, and a special ICT hub for managing election data safely. It will also have a hospital and emergency medical services, staff housing, a hotel for international election observers, large warehouses for storing voting equipment, and training halls, a press center, and plenty of parking space.
This project will take about two years to finish. Once completed, it is expected to change how Uganda runs its elections, making the process more organized, transparent, and trustworthy. It is a major investment in the future of democracy in Uganda.
(spy reports)