The NRM first vice chairperson, Mr Moses Kigongo (left), Senior Presidential Adviser Hadijah Namyalo (centre), and other officials from the Office of the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement party during the launch of the Vote Protection Exercise on September 25, 2024. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party is set to recruit more than 145,000 Ugandans to safeguard President Museveni's votes from potential theft during the 2026 General Election.
The move comes after the President accused the National Unity Platform (NUP) party of rigging the 2021 General Election and fraudulently gaining one million votes.
Mr Museveni said he had concrete evidence supporting his allegations, attributing the rigging to a legal loophole that allows multiple voting when the electronic system fails, which he believes was exploited during the elections.
During the launch of the Vote Protectors exercise at the Office of the National Chairman in Kyambogo, Kampala, Senior Presidential Adviser Hadijah Namyalo said they will recruit people between the ages of 20 and 40.
Ms Namyalo said they plan to recruit two youth from each village, who must have at least completed Senior Four, and two from each sub-county, who should have a minimum of A-Level education.
According to the Electoral Commission’s data, there are about 70,626 villages and 2,184 sub-counties in the country. This means that an estimated 145,620 youths will be employed.
Without revealing how much the youth will be paid, Ms Namyalo said the Vote Protection Exercise involves only selected party representatives at all levels, along with the office of the national chairman.
“We have been facing challenges on the ground with exchanging our votes because we did not have voter protectors and that’s what we have embarked on come 2026 General Election,” she said.
She revealed that coordinators of the vote protectors have been flagged off to start identifying agents and warned party MPs and ministers against disrupting party activities, claiming they have received an “order from above”.
“We have experienced several disruptions while conducting NRM activities and most of them are caused by party officials using their positions,” she said.
The NRM first vice chairperson, Mr Moses Kigongo, who launched the exercise, urged Vote Protection Exercise coordinators to shun bribes.
“We know that leaders tend to bribe our agents on the ground because they want to rig our votes, but this time we are ready to defend and protect all our votes at all levels,” he said.
Mr Kigongo said coordinators must fully understand the importance of their role, noting that while the party has won votes in the past, some were lost to rigging due to a lack of individuals to safeguard them.
“We are very sure that we have the solution early enough with very good people we trust. We are sure that movement will be protected not only for one person but for all candidates,” he said.
He also warned coordinators against engaging in vote theft or causing public unrest, urging them to maintain self-respect and uphold the reputation of NRM.
“You should take the training seriously because you are the one to guide them while on duty. Try to talk to everybody, even those who are supporting other parties,” he said.
