KAMPALA โ The Office of the National Chairman (ONC), under its manager Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, emerged as one of the key mobilisation forces behind the National Resistance Movementโs campaign in the 2026 Local Council and Women Council elections. With grassroots contests returning after years without nationwide Local Council elections, the ONC placed particular emphasis on building a strong presence from the village level upwards.
The scale of the operation was reflected in the identification of 31,629 NRM-leaning candidates for the Local Council and Women Council elections. The initiative placed the ONC at the centre of efforts to identify, support and mobilise candidates seeking grassroots leadership positions. Namyalo repeatedly urged the partyโs structures to remain active in communities and ensure that voters understood the importance of choosing leaders capable of serving their communities.
The mobilisation was subsequently strengthened by the deployment of 2,200 ONC mobilisers across the country. The teams were tasked with reaching voters at community level, encouraging participation and supporting the NRMโs grassroots candidates. The deployment demonstrated Namyaloโs strategy of taking the ONC beyond its headquarters and turning it into a field-based mobilisation network capable of reaching communities across the country.
Namyalo also gave special attention to the Women Council elections, encouraging women to participate actively in grassroots leadership and support candidates capable of addressing issues affecting their communities. Her mobilisation message targeted women in different parts of the country, reinforcing the argument that stronger female representation at village and parish level was essential to effective grassroots leadership.
The ONC campaign was not limited to rallies and mobilisation. Namyalo maintained a visible presence in the field, engaging communities, encouraging voters to participate peacefully and following developments surrounding the elections. Her activities complemented the work of the wider NRM structure, which was also mobilising candidates and supporters across the country.
The reported performance of NRM candidates in different Local Council contests subsequently provided an indication of the strength of the partyโs grassroots machinery. While the Electoral Commission remains the authoritative source for the final national figures, the scale of candidate mobilisation and field operations showed how much effort had been invested in rebuilding and activating the partyโs village-level structures. The ONCโs contribution should therefore be viewed as part of the wider NRM campaign rather than as the sole explanation for the election results.
For Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, the 2026 Local Council and Women Council elections became a major test of her organisational and mobilisation abilities. With 31,629 candidates, 2,200 mobilisers and an extensive grassroots campaign, the ONC placed itself at the centre of the NRMโs drive for local leadership. The election outcome has consequently added another chapter to Namyaloโs growing profile as one of the prominent figures responsible for translating the NRMโs national political machinery into grassroots electoral mobilisation.
