The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has issued guidelines regulating the display of election campaign materials across the capital city ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The guidelines have been revealed today Thursday by the Authority and Secretary Generals of all registered political parties, held at the KCCA Headquarters in Kampala.
The guidelines, which are backed by a wide range of enabling legislation including the Kampala Capital City Act, the Physical Planning Act, and the Parliamentary Elections Act, were delivered in a speech by the KCCA Executive Director, Sharifah Buzeki. The speech was read on her behalf by Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi.
In the statement, the Executive Director emphasized that the purpose of the guidelines is to ensure order, preserve public decency, and protect public and private property from defacement during the electoral season.
She noted that while the Authority recognizes the importance of political expression and the democratic process, this must be balanced with the need to maintain the city’s aesthetics, ensure public safety, and uphold the rule of law.
Kigenyi explained that campaign posters, banners, and other election-related materials fall under the legal definition of advertisements as stipulated in the Physical Planning Act and must therefore be subject to regulation.
He stated that over the years, the city has experienced uncontrolled placement of campaign posters, leading to widespread visual clutter, obstruction of traffic signage, and damage to infrastructure.
Under the new framework, all individuals or political entities intending to display campaign materials in Kampala must first obtain formal permission from KCCA. Campaign posters on buildings must only be placed on the front elevation at or just above ground floor height and should maintain uniform size and design. The standard poster size shall not exceed 0.9 meters by 0.6 meters.
Kigenyi further stressed that campaign materials will not be permitted in locations such as hospitals, health centers, schools, places of worship, trees, traffic lights, road signs, or telecommunication and electricity poles. He added that no materials should be erected at road junctions, roundabouts, islands, or in a manner that obstructs visibility or interferes with road users.
In addition to spatial restrictions, the guidelines also impose regulations on campaign methods involving audio announcements. Use of sound trucks and other mobile audio tools will only be allowed between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with permissible sound levels not exceeding 80 decibels. Any political actor intending to use such tools must apply for an outdoor advertising permit and adhere to designated routes approved by the Executive Director.
KCCA has also clarified that campaign advertisements on street poles will be permitted on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to meeting specific criteria set by the Authority. Where campaign tools are placed on private property, written consent from the property owner must be submitted to KCCA prior to installation.
Kigenyi reiterated that any campaign materials erected without the necessary approvals would be deemed illegal and removed at the cost of the responsible individual or political party. He added that the permit holder will also be responsible for the removal of all campaign tools after the designated election period, and that any costs incurred by the Authority in removing or storing unpermitted materials would be recovered from the responsible parties.
The Authority has also banned the use of illuminated campaign signs unless such signs are placed on pre-existing billboards with prior approval. To reduce visual clutter and facilitate easy cleanup after elections, political parties are encouraged to place posters on designated boards rather than pasting them directly onto surfaces.
KCCA warned that violation of the guidelines will attract enforcement action in line with the Physical Planning Act, the Building Control Act, and the National Environment Act. Any individual who places or displays campaign materials without permission will be deemed to have committed an offence and may face penalties including fines or imprisonment as provided for under the applicable laws. Furthermore, the defacing, removal, or destruction of a rival candidate’s posters remains a criminal offence under Section 101 of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
In her message, the Executive Director Buzeki called on all political parties to demonstrate leadership and responsibility during the campaign season by adhering to the set standards. She noted that KCCA will continue to engage stakeholders, conduct city-wide sensitization, and deploy compliance teams to monitor and enforce the new regulations throughout the campaign period.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Generals from political parties including the ruling National Resistance Movement, the Patriotic Front For Freedom which is a breakaway party faction from the Forum for Democratic Change, Conservative Party, the Uganda People’s Congress, JEEMA, COSEVO Party among others.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gerald Twishime the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander who was representing the Inspector General of Police ; said the 2026 elections shouldn’t make it appear that this is the end of the elections.
He noted that as Police, they will be coming in as a back up force and they will not be working on the Front line. He noted that many allegations are going to come up that KCCA has defaced their campaign posters and that someone could threaten legal action. However, he has called upon the members to abide by these guidelines. He noted that police will not cause any violence because there role is to protect and has dismissed any claims that there will be violence caused by police.
He gave an example that NRM was doing elections recently and there was violence but it wasn’t caused by police but police came in to restore sanity.
He clarified that a barracks is not a campaigning place and that whoever was denied permission to place his campaign pictures there should not take it in bad faith. He said Police is neutral and that not until one gets a problem, that’s when people will know that the Police is neutral because they were uniforms not to belong to any political party.
However, most of the Political parties’ representatives who were present accused KCCA of working in bad faith adding that the guidelines favour one political party, the NRM.
Gideon Tugume of Forum for Integrity in Leadership (FIL) demanded to know where the KCCA puts money it gets through taxes and demanded that it should do it’s job.
Tugume said that the elections are few months away and therefore the KCCA should also use the monies it corrects from taxpayers to cleanse the places dirtened by posters.
On the other hand, Jackson Kato a representative from the Patriotic Front for Freedom said the regulations would have been good, if they were favouring all parties.
He has given an example that foristance when President Museveni was visiting Kampala during Parish Development Model Tours several posters for the opposition were pulled down especially in places that he was going to visit. He mentioned places like Namboole, Kireka and Kawempe. He noted that he had campaign posters to place in a barracks at Jinja Road, however, the DPC reportedly denied him permission to do so. He decried thwt there were other posters for some candidates inside.
Rogers Mulindwa who was representing NRM noted however that his main concern is on defiant political parties . He noted that however the regulations are fair. He asked KCCA if it wants to deface pictures, it should do so during the day in the interest of fairness so that defiant parties don’t blame NRM to be the one behind the defacing.
Mulindwa Senior Manager in Charge of Information, Communication and Public Relations in NRM added that if spaces for pinning posters require booking, the NRM Party will go ahead and book the spaces because it has the financial capacity to book them.
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