RWAKITURA.
A total of 61 ghost voters have been deleted in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) register at President Museveni’s polling station ,Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga Nursery School , Rwakitura Cell in Kiruhura District .
President Museveni, who also the NRM National Chairman, personally oversaw the party village polls Tuesday at his village in Nshwerenkye Parish. According to a statement from State House ,a total of 290 voters were confirmed on the NRM register after a meticulous audit removed 61 names of individuals who were either deceased or had relocated.
“I want to thank the people of Rwakitura for checking the register to confirm their details,” President Museveni said.
“This process is vital to ensuring free and fair elections within our party. I urge you to support our NRM flag bearers, not just in these internal elections, but also in the upcoming general elections.”
However , the president on his X(Twitter) said some voters including his grandchildren –Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba –who are over 18 years are not in the register yet they wish to join NRM .
“ This will be addressed later . However our primary purpose today was to confirm the register ,”he said
According to Mr Museveni if NRM manages to have 290 members in all 72,000 villages , the party will potentially have 20.8million members .
The President expressed satisfaction with the increasing participation of young people in elective politics, urging them to play a proactive role in shaping the future of both the party and the country.
He particularly praised residents of Rwakitura for their active participation in NRM village-level elections. The process involved verification of the party members’ register and electing village structures and LCI flag bearers.
The nationwide electoral exercise, led by Dr. Tanga Odoi, Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, took place in over 72,000 villages across Uganda. However ,he revealed that registers at 400 villages had not been delivered by polling day –meaning party members there did not elect their new village leaders .
Speaking at a community baraza in Rwakitura, Dr. Odoi reaffirmed the party’s commitment to a transparent, community-led verification process of its membership and leadership structures.
“This is the first phase of our activity — cleaning up our register,” he said.
“We’re asking villagers to confirm who is alive, who has moved away, and who genuinely belongs to our party. Anyone falsely listed — including underage children or opposition members — will be removed.”
Residents actively verified the NRM register and went on to elect village-level leaders, including Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, General Secretary, Treasurer, and Secretary for Publicity. Special Interest Groups such as women, youth, older persons, veterans, and persons with disabilities also began electing their representatives.
Dr. Odoi clarified that youth aged 18 to 35 are eligible to participate in NRM structures, though those vying for national youth leadership roles must be under 30. He also announced a postponement of elections in Rubirizi District, a constituency in Serere, and Kapelebyong Village due to market activities and the death of a flag bearer. These polls will be held tomorrow.
The NRM Chairperson for Kiruhura District, Mr Nzeire Kaguta, who also attended the event, thanked the President for his visionary leadership and for personally supervising the exercise while confirming his own eligibility in the party register.
As the NRM village elections continue across the country, they are expected to establish a strong foundation for upcoming party activities at the sub-county, district, and national levels—reinforcing the party’s grassroots presence ahead of the general elections.