Unverified: No Evidence Supports The Claims Of Plans To Burn The EC Headquarters By Justice Byabakama To Destroy 2026 Election Dr Forms

Claim
A TikTok video circulating online claims that Uganda’s Electoral Commission Chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, is planning to burn down the offices and destroy the declaration of results (DR) forms, which have been requested by the European Union (EU). This claim is false and misleading.

Unfortunately, the TikTok garnered 18K views, 244 comments, 2017 Saves and 31.1K shares. 

The TikToker further said that there is a serious concern and urged Ugandans to spread the video. Hence, spreading the unverified information further to above 31.1k shares.

According to him, the EC Chairperson, Simon Byabakama, has been pressured to provide the official Declaration Results (DR) forms by the EU and has failed. 

He alleges that there is a plan to burn down the EC offices to destroy evidence and later claim that all DR forms and election-related materials for the 2026 general elections were lost in the fire.

He further insists that even if the incident happens, Byabakama will still be required to explain the origin of the results he announced, claiming that most people voted for Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu rather than President Poweri Kaguta Museveni. 

According to Section 47 (5) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, a Declaration of Result (DR) form is an official election document completed at an individual polling station after vote counting. In Uganda, polling officials normally record the number of votes obtained by each candidate, total ballots cast, and invalid votes. It is then signed by the presiding officers and party agents present, and copies are given to the agents while another copy is publicly displayed at the polling station. 

It states:

(5) The presiding officer and the candidates or their agents, if any, shall sign and retain a copy of a declaration stating— 

(a) the polling station; 

(b) the number of votes cast in favour of each candidate; 

and the presiding officer shall there and then announce the results of the voting at that polling station before communicating them to the returning officer.

The forms are to ensure transparency, traceability, and verification of results from the polling station up to the national tally. They are then handed over to the EC to manage and safeguard as part of the official results transmission process.

The European Union (EU), on the other hand, is a political and economic partnership of 27 European countries working together on trade, laws, economic cooperation, security, and regional development. 

It operates through key institutions, namely: the European Commission, a body that proposes laws and implements policies, the European Parliament, which represents EU citizens and helps pass legislation, and the Council of the European Union, where member states make collective decisions.

Facts
Using the Info Verifier tool, we established that there is no credible evidence that the Electoral Commission plans to burn its headquarters or destroy election materials related to the 2026 elections, and the results indicated that there was no evidence or verified information suggesting that Justice Byabakama is planning to burn the Electoral Commission offices. 

We also inquired from the tool’s bot about whether the Electoral Commission has issued any statement to produce the DR forms to verify allegations of election rigging, and it also indicated no evidence from the provided verified sources or credible reports indicating that the European Union issued a statement asking Uganda’s Electoral Commission E) to produce Declaration of Results (DR) forms.

From the time President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was declared the winner, securing his 7th term, there has been coverage citing vote rigging here and here, and a claim verified by Debunk Media Initiative. 

In the video, the creator claims the European Union pressured Byabakama to produce the DR forms. However, a simple Google search using words like “EU demands Byabakama to produce DR forms” does not support this claim. 

Instead, the results indicate that the Electoral Commission was petitioned to release the presidential DR forms. An article by the Daily Monitor shows that the petition was filed on February 24, 2026,  by an individual identified as Rogers Kanti through his lawyer  George William Alenyo of Katongole and Company Advocates, not by the European Union as claimed.

The petitioner is seeking certified copies of all presidential declaration (DR) forms used to record results at polling stations across the country,” the writer added in the second paragraph.

“I hereby apply for all presidential declaration forms for the 2026 elections held on January 15. This request is made in exercise of my constitutional rights as a citizen and my right to access information,” Mr Kanti stated in the petition.” Kanti is quoted

The search also led us to an article by the Independent Magazine dated Thursday, 12th March, about the EU parliament confronting Uganda over election fallout, and not that the EU demands for DR forms as claimed. 

Following the disputed 2026 general elections held in January 2026, the European Parliament has increased attention on Uganda’s political direction. 

During the ordinary session of the delegation of the African Parliamentary Assembly (DAFR) in Brussels, chaired by Belgian Member of Parliament Hilde Vautmans, lawmakers adopted a resolution condemning human rights violations reported during and after the elections in Uganda, raising concerns about threats targeted at opposition figures and civil society actors.

 While reaffirming that Uganda remains an important partner for regional peace and security, the lawmakers emphasized that respect for democratic values and human rights is essential and human rights is essential and can not be compromised.   

The TikTok video creator mixed up the two, the European Union and the parliament for the same, yet they are two different entities. The EU is the entire political and economic union of the 27 European countries, which creates laws, policies, trade agreements, and works on areas like security, climate, human rights, and development cooperation, while the European Parliament is an institution within the EU. It is the legislative body where elected representatives from EU member countries debate and vote on EU laws and policies.

Whereas it is within the EU’s mandate to observe elections in member states, it does not run, supervise, or control elections in sovereign countries like Uganda. Its involvement in elections is limited to observation, technical support, diplomatic engagement, and democracy promotion. 

In its election observation Missions, the EU assesses whether an election meets international standards such as transparency, fairness, and credibility. 

During elections, the EU may send an observer to assess credibility and transparency when invited, but it does not conduct or control elections in other countries.

We then did a Google reverse Image search on the TikTok’s screen to find the original account and traced it to Facebook shared by an account identified as UG. As the creator emphasises circulating the video, it was then shared to TikTok by Bukrwa Margret, who added more posters of President Yoweri Museveni. Gen. Muhoozi, the first lady Janet Museveni and others. This is unrelated to the message in the video, creating doubt in the credibility of the account.  

Looking through the account, its bio states “Protest vote 2026”, a slogan that was used by the National Unity Platform (NUP) party candidates in the recently concluded elections. It indicates that the message in the video is rather partisan than factual. 

Verdict
Unverified. Evidence for or against the claims in the video is not publicly available. And we did not find any official communication linked to the EU’s alleged demand for the EC to produce the 2026 presidential election DR forms.

This fact-check was produced by NAMAJJA ELIZABETH with support from the Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.