As Uganda prepares for the Village (LC I) and Women Council elections later this month, Rubirizi District Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Jeniva Arinaitwe Nalongo has urged Ugandans to elect leaders who are accessible, transparent and committed to serving their communities, while encouraging voters to overwhelmingly support candidates of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Hon. Jeniva made the remarks shortly after Thursday’s plenary sitting of Parliament, where Members of Parliament extensively discussed issues surrounding the forthcoming Local Council elections and the need to ensure a peaceful, inclusive and credible electoral process.
The legislator emphasized that LC I leaders are the first point of contact between citizens and government, making the election one of the most important exercises in strengthening service delivery, security and community development.
She called upon voters to scrutinize candidates carefully and elect leaders who are available to the people, accountable in their decisions and capable of driving local development.
“Ugandans should elect leaders who are accessible, transparent and committed to serving their communities. We also encourage wananchi to support NRM candidates because the party has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace, stability and development,” Hon. Jeniva said.
The first-term legislator further supported calls by several Members of Parliament for government to declare the LC I polling day a public holiday, arguing that doing so would enable all eligible Ugandans, including workers in both the public and private sectors, to participate fully in the democratic exercise.
According to her, voter participation is essential in strengthening grassroots democracy and ensuring that every community elects leaders who genuinely represent the people’s interests.
Hon. Jeniva expressed confidence that the National Resistance Movement will perform strongly in the village elections, saying the party’s record in delivering infrastructure, education, healthcare, peace and wealth creation programmes continues to earn it widespread public support.
She noted that electing NRM leaders at the grassroots will further strengthen implementation of government programmes and improve coordination between local communities and national leadership.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled Village Women Committee elections for 23 July 2026, while Village (LC I) Chairperson elections will be held on 28 July 2026. Campaigns for the LC I Chairperson elections will run from 20 to 27 July, while Village Women Committee campaigns will take place from 20 to 22 July. Voting will be conducted by lining up behind candidates, their representatives, portraits or symbols, as provided for under the relevant electoral laws.
The upcoming elections are expected to fill leadership positions in more than 71,000 villages across Uganda, with the elected leaders playing a central role in community mobilization, local governance, dispute resolution and implementation of government programmes at the grassroots.
