Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has launched a nationwide mobilisation campaign ahead of the forthcoming Local Council (LC) and Women Council elections, deploying senior party officials and grassroots coordinators to rally support for its candidates across the country.
The party said the exercise is aimed at strengthening coordination, monitoring campaign activities and ensuring that its flag bearers are prepared for the grassroots polls.
NRM Secretary General, Richard Todwong said the party had completed key internal preparations in line with the electoral roadmap issued by the National Electoral Commission, including the selection of candidates for LC1 chairperson and Women Council positions.
Todwong said the party elected its LC1 flag bearers in May 2025 before conducting village barazas on July 10, 2026, to address vacancies created after some candidates withdrew, relocated or died.
He added that NRM parish registrars endorsed nomination papers for the party’s candidates between July 11 and 14, ahead of the official nomination exercise running from July 15 to 19.
“I can confirm without fear of contradiction that the NRM has flag bearers in all villages for the LC1 chairperson positions and Women Council elections,” he said.
He described the grassroots elections as a key step in strengthening local governance, arguing that elected leaders would play a major role in supporting government programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM).
“The LC1 and LC2 elections are elections of the grassroots structures. As a party, we have the government programme of the Parish Development Model. It is very important that we elect leaders who support government and can work smoothly with it to ensure that our people fully participate in PDM programmes,” he said.
Todwong noted that LC2 chairpersons automatically become leaders of Parish Development Committees, making their election central to the implementation of development initiatives at community level.
NRM Deputy Secretary General, Rose Namayanja Nsereko said the party had formed nationwide coordination teams made up of officials from the NRM Secretariat and other party cadres to oversee mobilisation activities in different regions.
The teams, she said, would operate under the guidance of members of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) and begin with sub-regional meetings involving district leaders, administrative secretaries, registrars and Members of Parliament.
The mobilisation drive will later move to sub-county engagements with party leaders and flag bearers before reaching villages through community meetings.
Namayanja said the party would hold village barazas on July 22 to campaign for its candidates, promote unity among members and strengthen grassroots support ahead of voting.
NRM National Treasurer Amb. Barbara Oundo Nekesa said the party’s CEC had approved financial support to facilitate campaign activities for its flag bearers, while mobilisation teams would remain deployed until the conclusion of the elections.
The party’s Director for Mobilisation, Dr Rosemary Sseninde, said the strategy would focus on coordinated engagements at sub-regional, sub-county and village levels to ensure consistent messaging and effective mobilisation.
The deployment signals the final phase of NRM’s grassroots preparations as the party seeks to consolidate its presence at the local government level ahead of the LC and Women Council elections.
