The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party on Monday officially launched the nomination process for aspirants seeking to contest in the 2026 general elections.
Done at the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters in Kyadondo, the occasion marked a strong start, with top party officials among those picking nomination forms.
By the end of the first day, the party’s Electoral Commission had received an impressive 795 expressions of interest from aspirants intending to contest in the party primaries.
These applications covered three key elective positions namely, Constituency Member of Parliament, District Woman Member of Parliament, and LCV Chairperson.
Speaking to journalists, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr. Tanga Odoi, expressed surprise at the high number of aspirants. He described the turnout as “overwhelming” and attributed it to the party’s growing popularity and continued expansion across the country.
Of the total expressions of interest, 427 were for constituency parliamentary seats, followed by 210 for district woman MP positions, and 144 for LCV chairpersons.
Dr. Tanga noted that the strong participation demonstrated the NRM’s ability to mobilize and attract leaders at all levels of governance.
Regionally, Ankole recorded the highest number of aspirants, with 51 seeking to contest for constituency MP seats, 21 for woman MP, and 14 for LCV chairperson bringing the regional total to 86.
This was followed by both Bukedi and Busoga, which each registered 66 aspirants. Bukedi had 45 for constituency MP, 13 for woman MP, and 8 for LCV, while Busoga registered 37 for constituency MP, 20 for woman MP, and 9 for LCV.
Rwenzori came next with a total of 61 aspirants, followed by Teso which registered 50. West Nile attracted 56 aspirants in total, ahead of Bugisu with 44 and Kigezi with 41.
Bunyoro saw 49 aspirants express interest, while Karamoja had 42 and Acholi 40. Lango and Greater Masaka each registered 33, followed by Sebei with 28 and Greater Mubende with 27.
Other regions such as Greater Kampala, Greater Luwero, and Greater Mukono had smaller turnouts. Greater Kampala recorded 22 aspirants, Greater Luwero had 19, and Greater Mukono registered 18.
Despite the lower numbers in some areas, Dr. Odoi emphasized that the diversity of participation was an indicator of inclusive engagement across Uganda.
In addition to the general categories, the party also received 14 expressions of interest from aspirants representing special interest groups. These included three for Workers MP, two for Persons with Disabilities, six for Older Persons, and three for the Youth category.
The nomination process is still ongoing with more aspirants anticipated to join the race, as the NRM intensifies preparations for what promises to be a highly competitive election cycle.
