Rt. Hon. Todwong Confident of NRM Victory as Party Finalises Village Election Flag Bearers
Speaking to journalists at the NRM Secretariat in Kampala, Todwong announced that the ruling party had successfully conducted village barazas across the country to elect and validate its candidates before endorsing their nomination forms on July 13 and 14. The endorsement process has cleared the candidates to proceed for official nomination by the Electoral Commission.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has concluded the identification and endorsement of its flag bearers for the forthcoming Village Women Council and Local Council I (LC1) elections, with the party's Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong, calling on members to actively participate in the electoral process and mobilise support for the party's candidates.
Speaking to journalists at the NRM Secretariat in Kampala, Todwong announced that the ruling party had successfully conducted village barazas across the country to elect and validate its candidates before endorsing their nomination forms on July 13 and 14. The endorsement process has cleared the candidates to proceed for official nomination by the Electoral Commission.
The Secretary General urged all party members to take advantage of the ongoing display of the village voters' registers by the Electoral Commission to verify their details and ensure that they are eligible to participate in the upcoming polls.
"We encourage all our members and supporters to check the voters' registers and confirm that their names and particulars are correctly captured. Participation begins with ensuring that you are properly registered," Todwong said.
According to the electoral roadmap, candidates vying for LC1 Chairperson and Village Women Council positions will be officially nominated between July 16 and 19. Todwong directed all NRM flag bearers to report to their respective sub-county headquarters with their duly endorsed nomination forms to complete the nomination process.
In preparation for the Village Women Council elections scheduled for July 23, the NRM will hold another round of village barazas on July 22 aimed at mobilising support for the party's candidates and strengthening grassroots engagement.
Todwong explained that the Village Women Council elections are crucial in promoting women's leadership and representation at the grassroots. The elections will fill five positions at the village level: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and Secretary for Publicity.
He noted that the leaders elected at the village level will subsequently participate in the election of women leaders at the parish, sub-county, district and national levels, creating a well-structured leadership framework that enables women to actively participate in governance from the grassroots to the highest levels of representation.
The Secretary General further highlighted the significance of the Local Council I elections, describing the office of the LC1 Chairperson as the foundation of Uganda's decentralised governance system.
He said the Resistance Council system introduced by the NRM transformed local administration by allowing communities to directly elect their leaders, replacing the previous arrangement where local administrators were centrally appointed.
"The LC1 is the first level of leadership in the village. These leaders represent the people's views, work with government to implement development programmes and help address community challenges. It is therefore important that Ugandans elect leaders who are honest, trusted and committed to serving their communities," Todwong said.
He emphasised that LC1 leaders play a critical role in mobilising communities for government programmes, resolving local disputes, maintaining security and serving as the first point of contact between citizens and government institutions.
Todwong congratulated all NRM flag bearers who emerged victorious during the party's internal elections and expressed confidence that the ruling party would perform strongly in the forthcoming village polls.
"The NRM has completed its preparations. Our flag bearers are in place, our structures are ready, and we call upon all our members to turn up in large numbers, participate peacefully and support the party's candidates," he said.
The upcoming village elections are expected to attract significant participation across the country as Ugandans elect leaders who will steer local governance and community development over the next term. For the NRM, the polls represent another test of the party's grassroots structures, which have historically been the backbone of its political organisation and mobilisation efforts.
With preparations now complete and candidates ready for nomination, attention is shifting to voter mobilisation and ensuring a peaceful, transparent and inclusive electoral process as the country heads into the Village Women Council elections on July 23 and the LC1 Chairperson elections on July 28.
