Presidential Aspirant Keddi Vows to Reject Nomination Fee Refund, Demands Ballot Spot

Stephen Keddi, a presidential hopeful, refuses a refund of his nomination fee and demands his name be added to the ballot after being blocked from the nomination process.

KAMPALA, UGANDA – Presidential aspirant Stephen Keddi has vowed to refuse a refund of the twenty million shilling nomination fee from the Electoral Commission, demanding instead that his name be placed on the ballot paper after he was blocked from completing the nomination process.

Last Tuesday, the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, announced that 251 candidates had picked up nomination forms, but only 41 had returned them. Of those, only eight were fully nominated as presidential candidates.

Keddi, who was optimistic about being nominated, expressed shock after he was blocked at the commission's third security gate due to what were described as technicalities. He revealed this in an exclusive interview with Salt Media.

Although the commission has given him until Thursday to appeal the decision, Keddi's primary demand is to have his name included on the ballot. He detailed how security personnel repeatedly turned him away, ultimately denying him access to the nomination tent.

Keddi confessed to Salt Media that he believes he fulfilled all the requirements and was better qualified than some of the other candidates who were successfully nominated.

He also provided clarification regarding the signature requirement. He stated that his team submitted the first batch of signatures, after which the commission issued a report on Friday confirming he had reached 98 per cent. He claims they later completed the full 100 per cent, and the commission had allocated him until Wednesday—the nomination day—to finalise the process.

With the Thursday deadline for an appeal approaching, it remains to be seen what his next step will be, whether he will appeal in court or withdraw from the race entirely.