The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has won 47,405 parish-level Women Council committee positions, representing 94.5 percent of the positions whose results have so far been compiled, the party’s Electoral Commission has announced. The results follow the parish-level Women Council Committee elections conducted by the National Electoral Commission on August 7, 2026, in 10,717 parishes across the country.
Addressing journalists at the NRM Electoral Commision headoffices in Kampala on Tuesday, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi said the preliminary statistics were based on complete results from 135 of the 146 districts. He said NRM candidates had won 47,405 positions, while independents, including some perceived to be NRM-leaning, had secured 1,688 positions, representing 3.4 percent.
Other political parties had won 389 positions, representing 0.7 percent, while results from 693 positions, equivalent to 1.4 percent, were still pending. Odoi expressed confidence that NRM would maintain its lead when the outstanding results were received. He also announced that preliminary findings from the recently concluded LCII Chairperson elections indicate that NRM is commanding approximately 85 percent of the positions, although the party’s Electoral Commission is still compiling the final data. The Electoral Commission Chairperson congratulated NRM members upon what he described as significant grassroots victories and thanked President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the party Secretariat, and all stakeholders who participated in the elections.
Odoi also unveiled the NRM roadmap for selecting flag bearers for the Adjumani West Member of Parliament by-election, following the death of the sitting MP, Gen. Moses Ali. The party will simultaneously select a flag bearer for the sub-county female councillor representing older persons in Pachara Sub-county, Adjumani District. According to the roadmap, expression of interest for the Adjumani West parliamentary seat opened on August 10, 2026, at the NRM Secretariat headquarters. For the sub-county councillor position, expression of interest will be conducted at the office of the Adjumani District Election Officer from August 17 to 18. Nominations for both positions will take place on August 17 and 18, with parliamentary nominations conducted at the NRM headquarters, while nominations for the sub-county councillor will be conducted at the Adjumani District Election Officer’s office. On August 19, the nominated candidates are expected to meet with the District Election Officer to draw up a joint campaign programme. The party will then undertake the updating and cleaning of its voters’ register from August 20 to 31, ahead of the NRM primaries scheduled for September 3, 2026.
Regarding eligibility for the Adjumani West parliamentary seat, Odoi said candidates seeking the NRM flag must be Ugandan citizens aged 18 years and above, registered NRM members, and registered voters with the National Electoral Commission. They must possess at least an Advanced Level certificate or its equivalent. He stressed that candidates presenting foreign qualifications must have the equivalence properly certified by the relevant Ugandan authorities, saying the party had drawn lessons from a previous case in Kikuube. The aspirants must also not be employed by government-owned organisations, members of the armed forces, police or prisons services, or cultural leaders. Each parliamentary aspirant will be required to pay a non-refundable expression-of-interest fee of Shs3 million. Odoi urged all interested candidates and stakeholders to strictly adhere to the electoral programme and eligibility requirements.
For the sub-county female councillor position representing older persons, Odoi said the candidate must be a Ugandan woman aged 18 years and above, an NRM member, and must not be a civil servant. The expression-of-interest fee for the position is Shs20,000, payable to the District Election Officer in Adjumani.
The NRM Electoral Commission also announced that party primaries for Women Councils at sub-county level will be held across the country on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Odoi clarified that eligibility is restricted to specific NRM structures. Members of the Parish Women’s Committee within the respective sub-county who are NRM members will be eligible to contest and vote in the primaries. He said representatives of women with disabilities, elected from among female persons with disabilities in the sub-county through their established structures, and who are NRM members, will also be eligible to contest and vote.
Dr. Tanga Odoi stressed that individuals cannot simply come from outside the structures and claim eligibility, explaining that membership and participation at the parish level formed the basis for qualification at the sub-county level. The primaries will be conducted through lining up behind candidates. He also warned non-Ugandan nationals against participating in the NRM electoral process, stressing that only Ugandan citizens who meet the party’s eligibility requirements can participate as candidates or voters. The NRM Electoral Commission said it will continue issuing periodic updates on the progress of the Women Council elections at subsequent levels.