Masaka City’s Improved 2026 Presidential Vote Energising NRM Ahead of LC I Elections

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that National Resistance Movement leaders in Masaka City say the party’s improved showing in the 2026 presidential vote has boosted its preparations for the forthcoming Local Council I elections. The report says party officials view the village-level polls as an early test of whether gains made in a traditional opposition area can be converted into stronger grassroots leadership.

According to the outlet, NRM leaders say President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s vote share in Masaka City rose from about 21 percent in 2021 to roughly 33 percent in 2026, even as the National Unity Platform retained the city mayoralty and parliamentary seats. The article links the renewed mobilisation to discussions involving Museveni, Masaka City NRM chairperson and presidential assistant Rogers Bulegeya, and Masaka City Woman MP and State Minister for Local Government Justine Nameere.

Bulegeya is reported to have framed the LC I elections as a chance to deepen village structures, recruit young leaders and keep polling-village teams active between election cycles. Watchdog Uganda says the party’s recent mobilisation included door-to-door campaigning, promotion of government wealth-creation programmes, SACCO formation, youth initiatives and a Museveni rally at Masaka Liberation Square attended by senior NRM figures.

The report also notes internal challenges, including limited funding, logistical gaps and competition for party posts. NRM Director of Finance and Administration Hajjat Medina Naham Ojwanga urged unity and discipline ahead of the LC I contests. The broader significance is that control and organisation at village level often shape party visibility, mobilisation and future electoral strength in Uganda’s local political system.