The Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) released the electoral guidelines that will lead to the election of new office bearers for the four-year tenure, 2026 to 2030.
It is a three-level election process that will climax with the election of new national leadership on August 1, 2026.
The guidelines were unveiled on Wednesday at GNS Plaza, Old Kampala, during a media inter-face.
This was graced by USSSA President Emeritus Patrick Okanya alongside USSSA 3rd Vice President Harriet Apolot, Chief Executive Officer Christopher Banage, Electoral Commission officials led by Joseph Okodeu Opio, among others.
The elections commence from the district level, then city, zonal and the national stage.
For all the stages, the vote shall be executed by the secret ballot with the respective winners determined by a simple majority.
Phases:
The first phase of the elections will take place on Monday, July 20, 2026, at respective District and City Headquarters across the country between 10:00am and 2:00pm.
Each secondary school will be represented by two delegates, including the Headteacher and Games Teacher or their representatives.
Delegates must be professional teachers from Ministry of Education and Sports-recognised secondary schools that participated in USSSA activities and were registered on the USSSA online system during the 2025 and 2026 calendar years.
At district and city level, contestants will compete for positions including Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Organising Secretary, Secretary for Women, three Committee Members and ASSHU Representative (Ex-officio).
Nominations for district and city positions will run from July 3 to July 16, 2026, with nomination forms submitted between July 10 and July 16. The final list of candidates will be displayed on July 18.
The second phase will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at designated Zonal Headquarters to be announced by the Returning Officer.
Voting will also run from 10:00am to 2:00pm, with each district allowed to send a maximum of five delegates drawn from their respective district executive committees.
Zonal positions up for election include Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Organising Secretary, Secretary for Women, Coordinators for different sports disciplines and ASSHU Representative (Ex-officio).
Nominations for zonal positions will take place from July 20 to July 23, while candidate lists will be published on July 24.
The final stage of the process will be the National Elective Assembly scheduled for Saturday, August 1, 2026, at GNS Plaza, Old Kampala, starting at 10:00am and ending at 2:00pm.
Delegates representing the five regions of Buganda, Eastern, Northern, Kampala and Western will participate in electing the new national executive.
National positions to be contested include President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, Secretary for Women and Regional Representatives.
National nominations will be conducted from July 25 to July 29, with candidates’ names displayed on July 30 ahead of polling day.
USSSA stated that all candidates must be professional and registered secondary school teachers attached to Ministry of Education and Sports-recognised schools.
Candidates for Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Treasurer Positions at district and zonal levels must be substantive Headteachers or Directors of recognised secondary schools with at least a degree in education.
Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries must be classroom teachers, while the Secretary for Women position is reserved for female candidates.
The association further clarified that proxy voting will not be allowed, and every delegate will cast only one vote. In case of a tie, up to three rounds of voting may be conducted before a winner is determined through drawing of lots.
