“May the spirit of unity rise above division, and may our hearts be filled with love for our country. Let truth guide our words, peace inspire our actions, and hope illuminate our future,” the prayer reads in part.

They pray that God’s wisdom guides voters to elect “leaders who are truly patriotic, with courage to uphold truth and justice, and patience to listen to one another with respect.”

“May what we do aim at promoting justice and peace in Uganda,” the UEC members say in their prayer for the January 15 general election, which has attracted eight presidential candidates, including the incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), who has been in office since 1986.

Also in the presidential race is the National Unity Party’s Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and Kasibante Robert of the National Peasants Party (NPP).

The other presidential hopefuls are Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Frank Burila Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), Common Man’s Party’s Munyagwa Mubarak Sserunga, and Elton Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP).

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala has called for hope and peace ahead of the general election, citing what he describes as prevailing “fear and anxiety fuelled by divisive narratives in the media.”

“We pray for our nation that it may remain peaceful, especially during times of elections. What we see in the media is disappointing and creates fear and anxiety,” Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere said in a Tuesday, January 6, homily during the Perpetual, Jubilee, and Diamond Profession at Nkokonjeru in His Metropolitan See.

The member of the UEC emphasized that peaceful elections are essential for promoting justice and harmony and urged the people of God in the East African nation to remain steadfast in praying for the “peaceful elections so that justice, freedom, and harmony may prevail.”

Here is the text of the prayer the Catholic Bishops in Uganda formulated to pray for a peaceful electoral process in the country:

National Prayer for Peaceful Elections – 2026