The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has announced a nationwide exercise to verify all party flag bearers for the upcoming LC1 chairperson elections and fill vacancies left by candidates who have since passed away.
Speaking in at the NRM electoral Commission Headquarters, the Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, Dr. Tanga Odoi, said the verification exercise will take place on Friday, July 10, through village-level party meetings known as NRM Barazas across the country.
According to Dr. Odoi, the exercise is intended to confirm that candidates who were selected to carry the party flag in the 2025 internal elections are still alive and willing to contest on the NRM ticket.”We are verifying all our LC1 flag bearers to establish who is still available and ready to represent the party. Where a flag bearer has died, the vacancy will be filled before the elections,” Dr. Tanga Odoi said.
The NRM conducted its internal elections for LC1 flag bearers in May 2025, in preparation for Local Council elections that were expected later that year. However, the elections were postponed, making it necessary for the party to reassess the status of its candidates.
The verification exercise follows the Electoral Commission’s announcement that the LC1 elections will be held on July 28, 2026.
Dr. Odoi said the exercise will cover all 72,000 villages across Uganda, with NRM Barazas serving as the platform for members to confirm their party’s candidates.
He urged party members to use consensus when replacing deceased flag bearers where possible.”Where vacancies exist, members should first agree by consensus on a replacement. If consensus cannot be reached, elections should then be conducted,” he said.
Dr. Odoi added that once the verification process is completed, the final list of verified candidates will be submitted to the NRM Secretary General for official endorsement.”After completing the verification exercise, the names of all verified flag bearers will be forwarded to the Secretary General for confirmation before the elections,” he explained.
The NRM Electoral Commission has allocated approximately UGX 5 billion to facilitate the nationwide verification exercise. Dr. Odoi also revealed that teams of party officials have already been deployed to various parts of the country to oversee the implementation of the exercise.
The verification is expected to ensure that the ruling party enters the forthcoming LC1 elections with a complete and verified list of candidates across the country.
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