Uganda's NRM Secures Majority of Village Council Seats in Buhweju and Jinja

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) achieved a decisive victory in Uganda's 2026 Local Council One (LC1) elections. In Buhweju District, party mobilisers reported that NRM candidates won an estimated 87.35% of village chairperson positions, reducing the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) stronghold to a minority of independent seats. Party officials highlighted the peaceful conduct of most polling stations, though they noted isolated allegations of voter bribery and irregularities in voter registers.

In Jinja City, official results showed NRM candidates secured 113 of the 141 contested LC1 chairperson seats, a stark contrast to the opposition's performance in the concurrent general elections. NRM leaders attributed the outcome to renewed grassroots mobilisation and the selection of locally respected candidates, while opposition figures blamed organisational weaknesses and fragmented candidacies. The results suggest a shift in voter behaviour at the village level, separating local leadership choices from national political preferences.