The active participation of senior National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in the recently concluded village primaries has stirred public debate, with many questioning why high-profile figures, including Vice President Jessica Alupo and several cabinet ministers, vied for lower-level party positions.
However, party officials have downplayed the surprise, explaining that the grassroots elections form the bedrock of the NRM’s political structure and are essential for those aspiring to rise within the party ranks.
Speaking to Nile Post, NRM Deputy Secretary-General Namayanja Rose said participation at the village level is not only strategic but mandatory for any member with ambitions of contesting for higher leadership positions in the party.
"The most important level of elections for us is the village. The village in the NRM is the branch," Namayanja explained.
"Our elections are structured as an electoral college. If you don’t contest and become a leader at the village level, then you cannot be a leader at the parish level, and later at the sub-county level."
The grassroots elections, held on Tuesday, drew wide participation from across the party spectrum, including President Museveni, his deputy Jessica Alupo, ministers, Members of Parliament, and other prominent figures.
While some leaders only cast their votes, others actively contested and won various positions within their local party branches.
Among the notable winners were Vice President Jessica Alupo, who secured the position of Chairperson for the Elders' League; Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, who was elected Women’s Representative in Apopong village unopposed; and former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, who clinched the role of Media Representative in Busobya Zone, Kamuli District.
Minister of Information and NRM Vice-Chairperson for Western Uganda, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, also emerged victorious as Media Representative for his Kayungwe village, similarly running unopposed.
Namayanja emphasized that the strength of the NRM lies in its expansive grassroots network of over 72,000 village branches nationwide, which serves as the foundation for building and sustaining the party’s leadership structure.
"This is why every serious member of the party ensures participation in these elections," she noted.
The elected officials from the village-level elections will now play a pivotal role in shaping the party’s future leadership.
They are expected to participate in electing leaders at higher administrative levels and in selecting delegates for the NRM’s National Conference, where top party positions are determined.
As the party gears up for the next phase of its internal elections, preparations are underway to organize voter registers for the parish-level polls, which are scheduled to take place on the 12th of this month.
Winners at the parish level will proceed to the sub-county elections, marking the next critical step in the party’s multi-tiered electoral process.