The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has set September 3, 2026, for party primaries to select a flag bearer for the Adjumani West parliamentary by-election following the death of former Member of Parliament Gen. Moses Ali.
The roadmap was announced Tuesday by NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi during a press briefing in Kampala.
According to Odoi, the expression of interest for the parliamentary seat opened on August 10 at the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala.
Aspirants for the Adjumani District female councillor representing older persons will, however, submit their expressions of interest to the District Election Officer in Adjumani.
The nomination of candidates for the two positions will take place on August 17 and 18, followed by a meeting on August 19 at which nominated candidates will draw up a joint campaign programme.
The party will update and clean the voters’ register between August 20 and 31 before conducting the primaries and announcing the results on September 3.
Successful candidates will then be formally nominated as NRM flag bearers at the district headquarters on September 7 and 8.
Odoi said parliamentary aspirants must be Ugandan citizens aged at least 18 years, registered members of the NRM and registered voters. They must also possess at least an Advanced Level certificate or its equivalent.
He said serving government employees, members of the armed forces and police, and cultural leaders are not eligible to contest.
Each parliamentary aspirant will pay a non-refundable expression-of-interest fee of Shs3 million, while candidates seeking the female councillor position representing older persons will pay Shs20,000.
Meanwhile, the NRM Electoral Commission reported that the party performed strongly in the August 7 Women Council Committee elections at parish level.
Preliminary results from 135 of Uganda’s 146 districts show NRM candidates winning 47,405 of the 50,175 positions recorded, representing 94.5 per cent.
Independent candidates won 1,688 positions, representing 3.4 per cent, while candidates from other political parties secured 389 positions, or 0.7 per cent. Results for 693 positions, equivalent to 1.4 per cent, were still pending.
The Commission also said preliminary results from the Local Council II chairperson elections put the NRM in the lead with about 85 per cent of the positions.
Odoi further announced that NRM primaries for Women Councils at sub-county level will be held on Wednesday, August 12, across the country.
He said eligible contestants and voters will include members of Parish Women’s Committees within the respective sub-counties who are registered NRM members, as well as eligible NRM representatives of women with disabilities elected through their respective structures.
The primaries will be conducted using a college voting system and lining up.
On the Adjumani West race, Odoi said the party would work to address internal divisions and build consensus after identifying its flag bearer.
He insisted that the roadmap was open to all eligible NRM members and was not designed to favour any particular family.
