KAMPALA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) – The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Secretariat has launched the construction of 21 permanent district offices across the country in a move aimed at strengthening the party’s grassroots structures, improving coordination and enhancing service delivery.
The initiative is part of the party’s commitment to ensuring that every district has a fully functional operational base where leaders, members and supporters can coordinate activities, address challenges and follow up on the implementation of the party’s manifesto.
Announcing the project during a press conference at the NRM Secretariat in Nakasero, Kampala, on Thursday, Secretary General Richard Todwong said the first phase would cover 21 districts in the Central, Eastern, Northern and Western regions.
Todwong said the party has prioritised districts where members and cadres have donated land to support the establishment of permanent offices.
“We shall cover all districts, but we began with 21 where some cadres donated land. This phase will cover some districts in the Central, Eastern, Northern and Western regions,” Todwong said.
He described the initiative as one of the party’s most important undertakings, reaffirming its commitment to establishing a permanent operational base in every district.
The construction will be financed using funds collected from aspirants who expressed interest in contesting for various positions during the party’s primary elections.
Todwong said permanent district offices would provide the party with an organised and accessible presence at the local level, enabling leaders to engage members regularly and coordinate political and administrative activities.
A fully operational district office is particularly important in strengthening communication between the national secretariat and grassroots structures. It provides a central point where members can seek guidance, raise concerns, receive information and participate in party programmes.
The offices are also expected to improve the coordination of party activities, mobilisation, record-keeping, leadership meetings and monitoring of government programmes, including the implementation of the NRM manifesto.
Unlike temporary arrangements, permanent offices provide continuity, institutional identity and a reliable place for party leaders and members to conduct their activities throughout the year, rather than becoming active only during election periods.
The NRM Deputy Secretary General, Rose Namayanja Nsereko, commended Todwong for the initiative, saying it would help the party establish permanent homes across the country.
She particularly welcomed the decision to begin construction in Luwero, describing the district as historically significant to the NRM.
Namayanja revealed that the Secretariat had procured an acre of land for the Luwero office using funds donated by the party’s National Chairman and President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Meanwhile, NRM National Treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo said regional project supervisors have been appointed to oversee the construction works and ensure accountability, quality control and compliance with procurement guidelines.
She said local contractors would be prioritised, provided they meet the required standards, including proper registration, tax compliance, technical capacity and verification of beneficial ownership to prevent conflicts of interest.
Nekesa said construction of the offices is expected to take between nine and ten months, with the projects being implemented simultaneously.
She added that all the offices would follow standardised architectural designs to ensure uniformity across the country.
“All office designs are standard and generic. We shall have the same design everywhere. There is no room for altering the designs. They have been standardised and approved,” Nekesa said.
The Secretariat has so far received nine fully constructed district offices donated to the party by its cadres in Ngora, Mayuge, Gulu, Kween, Buhweju, Bugiri, Bukedea, Sironko and Kakumiro.
Other senior officials who attended the press conference included Deputy National Treasurer Jacqueline Kyatuheire, Electoral Commission Commissioners James Tweheyo, Zaitun Dwiwaru and Juliana Modesta Auma, and Director of External Affairs Maj. (Rtd) Awich Pollar.
