NRM sends warnings to DECs ahead of parish conferences

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) top leadership have issued warnings to corrupt party leaders at district and sub-county levels ahead of local conferences.

In a move aimed at consolidating the gains and mobilising votes for presidential candidate and national chairman of the ruling party, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, including other flagbearers, the NRM leadership has introduced parish delegate conferences.

The parish conferences will bring 63 delegates per village across the country. Out of the 63 delegates, 30 will be village party leaders, 9 flagbearers to the national youth council, 5 flagbearers for the women’s council, 5 flagbearers for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and elders’ league flagbearers to the sub-county council.

Others are 9 members of the village local councils (LC1s). If this composition is not NRM, the sub-county and the district NRM chairpersons have a mandate to nominate some NRM members deemed fit to attend the conference.

“This makes it total to 63 delegates,” Jacob Ocen, NRM publicity secretary for Lira City told the press in Lira City on Tuesday, December 9.

Ocen who said he was delegated by Maj Awich Pollar, Director of External Relations and Team Leader of the Parish Conferences, said these delegates will be converging at parishes.

“Each delegate is entitled to a shs10,000 transport refund and shs2,000 for refreshments (soda or water) and a t-shirt,” Ocen explained.

According to Ocen, Maj Awich and the top NRM leadership are already aware of the emerging corrupt behaviours. Without citing any leader of a district where this practice has emerged, Ocen said: “Information has reached his (Awich’s) office that in some districts NRM leaders (at sub-county and district levels) are inviting only 60 delegates, leaving out three (3), and they are saying it is a directive from above.”

“Firstly, there is no directive from above saying the parish conference should be attended by 60 delegates. Even on December 7, when the President addressed Lango NRM leaders at Lango College, he publicly announced that the 63 delegates per village will have a parish conference. The parish, sub-county leaders were there, the district party leaders were also there; flagbearers from the village were there.”

Ocen added that there is no circular or letter from Kampala, from the Secretariat informing that the membership at all the parish conferences is 60. “It’s 63 and I have given out the categories to attend.”

“I am requesting those in charge: the District Executive Committee (DEC) of NRM in different districts to work openly with clear accountability. It’s now discovered that per district, DEC is conniving with sub-county chairpersons to tell the village leaders that there is a circular from above saying only 60 should attend the conference.”

The money (shs36,000) meant to facilitate the other 3 delegates, Ocen told the press “the party is not aware of what the DEC and sub-county NRM leaders will use it for.”

“The issue is, after these parish conferences, the party will send teams to make follow-ups and ascertain how the conferences went, and if the transport refund was paid as budgeted and if the 63 attended.”

Calling the delegates “foot soldiers recruited by the NRM party,” Jacob Ocen said their other role will be to protect votes for President Museveni and NRM candidates in 2026.

Asked what penalties are in place for those trying to sabotage the conference by reducing the number of attendees, Ocen said the party will find a way to recover the money from the saboteurs.

“The party will ensure they are arrested and prosecuted. We don’t want it to be a tradition where money sent for significant tasks is eaten by one or two leaders. As a leader, when you do that, we will arrest you.”

The district and sub-county NRM leaders, Ocen said, are already well facilitated including for these conferences. “They should know that the arrests will be made and they stand a chance of being dismissed from the party or suspended as chairperson or a party leader once the matter of transparency and accountability is breached.”

According to data from the Electoral Commission, Uganda has a total of 10,595 parishes and 70,626 villages.