Published on 25/09/2024
The Office of the National Chairman of NRM (ONC) today officially launched its vote protection initiative, a key component of the party’s activities leading up to the 2026 elections.
The event, held at ONC headquarters in Kyambogo, was led by 1st National Vice Chairman Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo, alongside ONC Head and Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, with senior party leaders from the Secretariat in attendance.
The task force including Regional, Bazzukulu, and District ONC coordinators, has been tasked with mobilizing support and safeguarding votes for President Yoweri Museveni who is the anticipated NRM flagbearer in the 2026 presidential race.
In July this year, during a meeting with the ONC leadership, President Museveni tasked Hadijah Namyalo to lead his Vote Protection Unit in preparation for the 2026 elections which aligns with the NRM’s strategy to secure the party’s presidential candidate in future elections.
The President during the meeting tasked Namyalo with the role of identifying and assembling a team of vote protectors who will oversee the voting process at every polling station across Uganda in 2026. This team’s primary role will be to supervise the voting exercise, prevent vote rigging, and ensure the integrity of the declaration forms, thereby securing accurate tallying of results.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Hajjat Namyalo who is also the National Coordinator of Bazzukulu emphasized that the team of coordinators is set to transform into the trainers of trainers who are supposed to impart knowledge to the people on the grassroots and polling agents.
“We should try to avoid the past mistakes. Because you have always heard His Excellency saying they stole his votes. Therefore, we need people who are committed, and feel empathy for him to protect his votes,” Hajjat Namyalo stressed.
Much as NRM has support and overwhelming popularity, Namyalo made it clear to the team that if the votes are not protected, they might not achieve the goal of giving Jajja W’aBazzukulu Kaguta Museveni the landslide victory they have projected in the next election.
She explained that the Wednesday meeting and launch aimed at educating the trainers on the vote protection guidelines for President Museveni such that by Jan 2026, the team is ably in position to protect the votes and prevent any rigging attempt from the opposition.
Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo in his remarks as he flagged off the coordinators tasked them to stay humble, focused and disciplined whilst carrying out the recruitment of the vote protectors. He said this team will not only work for the National Chairman but also be key in securing NRM’s victory at various election levels.
“What I ask of you is to be well-behaved, do mind about other parties during election, stay focused on your role and be alert to protect our victory” Kigongo said, before cautioning them; “I myself will reach out to your areas and should I find irregularities and complaints, you will be held accountable.”
He also urged the coordinators not to be distracted and threatened by cadres who think they’re big as no one is above the party constitution on which the vote protection team was established.
He urged the commissioned team to start with mobilizing support for President Museveni since they cannot protect what they do not have if they don’t mobilize. “They are also to observe any inconsistencies and report them, and also support the NRM grassroot structures in the different regions,” Kigongo noted.
During the launch of Salaam Bank at Kololo in March this year, President Museveni publicly told Namyalo how the Opposition stole his votes in Kampala in the 2021 general elections and that he has now assigned her the big task of ensuring there is no more messing up with his votes. The President reiterated the rigging claims this month on Sept 12, in his address at the Kampala Defence and Security Expo, in Munyonyo, Kampala.
But the ONC boss on Wednesday explained that the vote protection team has been launched early in response to these frequent comments made by the President accusing the opposition, especially NUP of stealing his votes in the 2021 elections.
Namyalo stressed that “the Office of the National Chairpersons plan is to follow up every vote starting from door-to-door and person-to-person.”
The released election roadmap by the Uganda Electoral Commission outlines key dates for the 2025/2026 General Elections with the nomination of candidates for the presidential campaigns scheduled to take place between October 2 and October 3, 2025.
According to the roadmap, the demarcation of electoral areas will be completed by August 16 2024, and a general update of the National Voters’ Register is expected by January 2025.
The polling period for presidential and parliamentary elections has been set for January 12th 2026, extending up to February 9th for Local Government Councils (City/District; Municipality/City Division; and Sub County, Town, Municipal Division), including SIGs Representatives, in line with Article 61(2) of the Constitution.
The launch of President Museveni’s vote protection unit on Wednesday, September 25, attracted NRM CEC Members including Katto Gabriel (PWDs) James Tweheyo (Workers), State House officials, politicians, civil servants from Kampala and all over the country.
