Political Causalities of 2026 Elections; Maybe we need a rehabilitation centre for them

COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | The electoral political season is almost done. The victors are celebrating. The losers are counting losses. It’s more difficult for the losers. This is largely due to the nature of investment in the elections, both financially and emotionally. The biggest problem with African and indeed Ugandan political actors is the unwillingness to concede defeat even where it is clearly deserving.

It is understandably hard for those that did not have it in their favour. There are those that might even develop a mental breakdown. Others might withdraw from society to first recover from the shock. However, the earlier they recollect themselves and move on, the better. After all, in this exercise winners and losers were inevitable.

The attrition rate for the sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) is way above 70%, and to most Ugandans this was meant to happen. President Yoweri Museveni has warned the MPs on several occasions not to use money or give unsustainable promises to the voters. However, the desperation of the contestants to win the election makes them go overboard and give false promises that they later fail to achieve. The result is that they get voted out at the next round of the election.

Therefore, hearing MPs Medard Sseggona and Ibrahim Ssemuju concede defeat in the just-concluded parliamentary elections sounded rare and shocking. Comments on why they lost elections were mature, something that is not common in Uganda. They conceded defeat honourably and congratulated the victors. Hon. Ssegona took this a notch higher when he promised to offer any useful advice to the man who defeated him in the event, should he request it.

The two members of Parliament were quoted by several media houses accepting the outcome of the concluded parliamentary elections. This is a rare gesture in Uganda where losing an election is unacceptable. In fact, some losers end up doing the most despicable acts, like organising goons to attack and harm the victors.

Competing for the political offices, however rewarding they can be, should not make people look at each other as enemies. There is always more to live for beyond the rewards that come with such positions. In any case, those positions are not permanent; that is the very reason they are competed for every five years.

To such bad losers, an election is a zero-sum game where the participant expects nothing short of victory.  It is a do-or-die affair. Indeed, in such circumstances the losers end up losing their heads as well and, if not restrained, can end up with suicidal thoughts.

Accepting a political loss after a hot, intensely contested election—often characterised by a public concession speech—is a fundamental, though non-legally binding, tradition in healthy democracies. It represents a “graceful celebration of democracy” that signals the end of electoral “warfare”, promotes national stability and facilitates the peaceful transfer of power.

A concession is a voluntary act where the losing candidate acknowledges the winner, often via a personal call followed by a public, televised speech. This also serves as a necessary ceremony that allows supporters to accept the outcome and begin healing, preventing long-term bitterness between opposing factions.

Conceding defeat is not cowardly or showing you weren’t the best candidate; to the contrary, it shows humility and maturity.  It is a moment to place the country above personal disappointment. It encourages supporters to accept the results, ensuring that the winner can govern effectively.

Both Ssemujju and Ssegona had represented their constituencies for not less than 15 years. They had offered all they could to their voters. True, they felt they still had some energy to represent their constituencies, but the majority voters felt they were more convinced by their opponents. This is not to say that they had not represented their constituencies well enough. Far from that. But mankind, being who they are, tend to surprise you when you least expect them. And that is exactly what they did.

Graceful acceptance of defeat reinforces the democratic norm that “partisan feeling must yield to patriotism”. As a people, we must encourage such a culture if we are to advance our democratic gains.

A prompt concession signals that the electoral system, despite a heated contest, is legitimate. In contentious elections, refusing to concede defeat can cause deep political divisions and threaten social order.

As I write, one of the losers in the last presidential election, Robert Kyagulanyi, has said he is not conceding defeat and has gone into self-imposed hiding. Refusing to concede defeat won’t change the results the Electoral Commission announced. The only remedy available can only be courts of law that  he is reluctant to engage.

Elections come and go. The 2026 general elections are literally done. It is time to heal, and we move on with our lives. It is time to allow peace to return to our towns and villages. Work that propels self-improvement had stalled because of the political season. Our people need peace and calm to return to their gardens and other forms of enterprises to work and add value to their lives.

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The writer is the acting executive director of the Uganda Media Centre.