NRM launches grassroots mobilisation drive ahead of Local Council, Women Council elections

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement has started a nationwide grassroots mobilisation effort as it prepares for Local Council I chairperson, village women’s committee and later 2026 general election contests. The publisher’s headline and snippet describe the drive as beginning in the Tooro and Rwenzori sub-regions, while the public article focuses on a Sunday meeting addressed by NRM Deputy Secretary General Rose Namayanja Nsenko with party leaders from Greater Masaka.

According to Nile Post, Namayanja told NRM members that internal divisions pose a greater electoral risk than opposition parties. She urged members to accept official flag bearers after party primaries, arguing that split support between endorsed candidates and independents has hurt the party in past elections, including in 2021. She said the mobilisation meetings are intended to assess grassroots-level problems and address them before polling.

The report said Greater Masaka party leaders raised concerns about alleged irregular handling of NRM flags, including claims that some candidates who won primaries later lost endorsements to other people. They also complained that the sub-region had been overlooked in the distribution of parliamentary committee positions despite returning a notable number of NRM MPs. Namayanja responded that party flags should not be withdrawn from fairly elected and officially endorsed candidates.

The development matters because LC I and women council structures are among the lowest levels of political organisation in Uganda and can influence mobilisation ahead of national elections. Nile Post reported that Namayanja cautioned NRM officials and supporters against backing independents or rival parties, saying unity around official candidates would be central to the party’s performance in the forthcoming grassroots polls.