Experts sight that Government has spent an over 1.7 trillion shillings on recent elections.

The total 1.7 trillion shilling resource envelope was disbursed sequentially to various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) involved in logistics, security, and administration:

 Financial management of the Election budget:

FY 2023/24: UGX 76 billion released for preliminary roadmap activities.

FY 2024/25: UGX 312.4 billion allocated as electoral preparations intensified.

FY 2025/26: UGX 1.31 trillion released for the main voting phase, ballot printing, and biometric technology.

How the high costs for the election came about.

Economists and election officials attribute the steep rise in election spending compared to previous cycles (which cost UGX 690 billion in 2021) to several expanding operational factors:

Biometric Voter Verification: 

Procuring and deploying over 20,000 new biometric registration machines.

Expanded Polling Demographics: 

Factoring in a rising eligible voter base approaching 22–24 million citizens.

Logistical Proliferation: 

Managing over 15,000 newly created polling stations across 146 districts.I

nflationary Pressure: 

Emerging security requirements and higher baseline procurement costs for international materials.

The post-election commercial climate remains stable with low core inflation and a steady shilling. However, regional analysts continue to urge structural funding adjustments to safeguard financing for essential social amenities during peak polling seasons.

While independent civil organizations like the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) warned that massive localized cash injections risk causing artificial inflation, Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi clarified that the expenditure has not disrupted core macroeconomic targets.