SC Villa Elections: Mandela on course for another term after uncontested nomination

Incumbent SC Villa president Omar Ahmed Hussein is poised to continue at the helm of the record Ugandan champions after emerging as the only candidate to submit nomination papers for the club’s top seat ahead of the 2026–2030 term.

The nomination window closed on Saturday, March 7, 2026, with Hussein popularly known as “Mandela” being the only aspirant among the five individuals who had earlier picked nomination forms to officially return the completed documents within the set deadline.

📰 RE: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.#TheJogoos🔵 pic.twitter.com/j30mjMYYv7

— SC Villa (@SCVillaJogoo) March 7, 2026

According to the club’s Electoral Commission chairman Brian Kajubi, Hussein successfully fulfilled all the requirements needed to contest for the presidency.

In a public statement, Kajubi confirmed that the Electoral Commission had already forwarded Hussein’s documents for verification by the club’s trustees in line with the electoral guidelines.

“By closure of the submission deadline on March 7, only one candidate, Mr. Omar Ahmed Hussein, returned duly completed nomination forms and fulfilled all the required conditions. In line with the Sports Club Villa electoral guidelines, the Electoral Commission has forwarded his name and documents for vetting and further processing,” Kajubi stated.

During the nomination exercise, five individuals had initially shown interest in contesting for the presidency by picking nomination forms from the club secretariat. Besides Hussein, the others included Farouq Meywa, Dennis Ssebuggwawo Mbidde, Simeon Kawuma Bulezi and Joseph Muguluma Mbazzi.

Kajubi further revealed that Muguluma collected the nomination forms through an agent at the club secretariat.

Following the vetting process by the club trustees, the successful candidate is expected to be officially confirmed by March 10, 2026.

Meanwhile, the club’s fans’ registration exercise is scheduled to conclude on March 15.

The electoral process has, however, not been without controversy. Earlier on Saturday, Muguluma, Meywa and Mbidde reportedly sought intervention from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations over what they described as an excessively high and non-refundable nomination fee of UGX 100 million per candidate.

A day earlier, a group of supporters staged a peaceful demonstration at the Federation of Uganda Football Associations headquarters, protesting what they termed as an unfair electoral process. Police later dispersed the crowd using tear gas, with about 15 fans reportedly arrested during the incident.

Despite the tensions surrounding the process, the club’s elective congress is still scheduled to take place on March 22, 2026.

Hussein has been in charge of SC Villa since November 2021 and now looks set to extend his leadership for another four-year term if successfully vetted.

Founded in 1975, SC Villa remains the most decorated club in Ugandan football history with 17 league titles.

The Jogoos have also lifted the Uganda Cup nine times and claimed three CECAFA Club championships, while maintaining one of the largest fan bases locally.