We investigate the role of secondary electrons in galaxy clusters and in ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs). The radio emission in galaxy clusters and ULIGs is believed to be produced by the synchrotron radiation of relativistic electrons. Nonetheless, the sources of these relativistic electrons are still unclear. Relativistic secondary electrons can be produced from the hadronic interactions of cosmic-ray nuclei with the intra-cluster media (ICM) of galaxy clusters and the dense molecular clouds of ULIGs. We estimate the contribution of the secondary electrons in galaxy clusters and ULIGs by comparing observational results with theoretical calculations for the radio emission in these sources. We find that the radio halos of galaxy clusters can not be produced from the secondary electrons; on the other hand, at least for some ULIGs, the radio emission can be dominated by the synchrotron emission of the secondary electrons.