NRM conducts village elections as NUP sets 2026 roadmap

7 May 2025, 2:19 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party across the country participated in the exercise yesterday. In a statement, the party chairman, Yoweri Museveni, congratulated all members who took part and provided the nation with an update on the process. The party’s Secretary General, Richard Todwong, recently informed the media that the NRM has nearly 20 million registered members nationwide.

“Fellow Ugandans, when we arrived this morning at my polling station in Rwakitura, our registrar had a list of 351 members present. However, after auditing, we found that 61 individuals had either passed away or relocated. This leaves us with 290 registered members. Naturally, we recognise that some people are not on the list — for instance, my grandchildren, Muhoozi’s children, who are over 18 and may wish to join the party. This will be addressed in due course. However, our primary objective today was to verify the register,” Museveni said.

The Chairperson also went on to express his gratitude to the members. “Therefore, I want to congratulate the people of Rwakitura and all members across the country. If we were to have 290 people in 72,000 villages, we would potentially have 20.8 million members. If we do a good job, the party can sustain and grow itself,” he concluded.

Swaleh Tibamwenda, the Chairman of Buwanika Zone – Kisenyi II, who participated in the exercise and went through unopposed, thanked the NRM members in his area for trusting him with the responsibility of being their flag bearer in the forthcoming elections. “Despite a few challenges, we were able to conduct the exercise peacefully in our area. I’m grateful to the party members for entrusting me once again. I went through unopposed,” he said.

Similarly, as the country prepares for the 2026 general elections, the President of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi, chaired meetings of the National Executive Committee and the Executive Board. During the meetings, the party constituted a new Election Management Committee, adopted the guidelines for the upcoming 2026 elections, and approved the roadmap leading to the polls.

Ms Chemtai Harriet, formerly the party coordinator for the Sebei Sub-region based in Kapchorwa, was appointed Chairperson of the Election Management Committee. She will be deputised by Dr Ivan Ssempijja, a former Guild President at Makerere University.

“I congratulate the entire Committee and assure them of our full support as they embark on their duties. We received reports on the status of various party activities. Unfortunately, blockades imposed by the regime have prevented some of our activities from taking place as scheduled — including the establishment and training of Mobilisation Committees in all districts of Uganda, as well as adequate preparation for the youth elections,” Kyagulanyi said.