Government Extends LC1, LC2 Leaders’ Tenure

The government has extended the tenure of all Local Council One (LC1) and Local Council Two (LC2) chairpersons and executive committees whose term of office expired two days ago, allowing them to remain in office until fresh elections are held in the coming weeks.

The extension was announced by the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, pursuant to Regulation 12 of the Local Governments Councils Regulations (Second Schedule of the Local Government Act, Cap. 138) to prevent a leadership vacuum at the village and parish levels.

Barugahara said the extension follows the expiry of the current office bearers’ term on June 28 and comes after the Electoral Commission last week released the roadmap for the LC1, LC2 and local council elections.

“The offices of LC1 and LC2 perform very important functions in our communities. Government cannot allow a vacuum in these offices before new leaders are elected,” the minister said.

He explained that the extension will remain in force until the Electoral Commission concludes the elections for new village and parish leaders.


This is not the first time the Ministry of Local Government has extended the tenure of LC1 and LC2 leaders.

Although the five-year mandate of the current village and parish leaders expired in 2023, the government has repeatedly relied on the law to extend their tenure pending fresh elections. The delays have previously been attributed to funding constraints, administrative preparations and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the electoral calendar.

The extensions have been intended to ensure continuity in service delivery and maintain local governance structures responsible for community administration, security, dispute resolution and implementation of government programmes.

Barugahara reminded incumbent local leaders intending to contest for other elective offices that they are required by law to resign from their executive committee positions before seeking election.

He said such leaders must formally hand over all government property, office equipment and other official instruments to ensure accountability and a smooth transition.

The minister added that where vacancies arise, the Electoral Commission should make the necessary arrangements to conduct residual elections, particularly at the village level.

He also urged Ugandans to participate actively in the forthcoming elections by electing leaders with integrity and a commitment to community development.

Barugahara cautioned voters against electing leaders implicated in the misuse of government funds, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), alleging that some LC chairpersons had improperly channelled the programme’s funds to members of their own families.

“Let us elect leaders who are development-oriented and will move our villages and communities forward,” he said.

He also appealed to voters to reject candidates associated with corruption, land grabbing and abuse of office.

“Let us elect leaders who do not participate in land grabbing, leaders who do not facilitate land grabbers, and leaders who are not corrupt. Let us clean our system right from the village,” Barugahara said.

The Electoral Commission has scheduled the LC1 elections for July 28 and the LC2 elections for August 10, 2026. Both elections will be conducted using the lining-up method prescribed under the law.

Uganda last held nationwide LC1 and LC2 elections in July 2018. LC1 elections were conducted on July 10, while LC2 elections followed on July 27 through an electoral college comprising the newly elected LC1 executive committees.

The elected leaders were expected to serve a five-year term, which expired in 2023. However, the government has since repeatedly extended their tenure after failing to organise fresh elections on schedule due to funding constraints and efforts to harmonise the electoral calendar.

As of March 2026, Parliament noted that the tenure of the incumbent LC1 and LC2 leaders had already been extended six times.