President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has suspended Cabinet meetings and coordinated with Parliament to halt plenary sittings as the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) begins a nationwide voter register verification exercise in preparation for the 2026 general elections.
In a directive issued Sunday evening, Museveni called on all NRM members to report to their respective village centers by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6. The two-part exercise will involve verifying entries in the NRM membership register and electing the party’s Local Council I (LCI) flag bearers.
“I am alerting and requesting all the NRM members to go to the village centers in their respective local areas by 10 a.m. to do two things: (1) take part in the baraza that will verify the members of the NRM that have been registered in the NRM registers; (2) take part in the elections of the NRM LCI flag-bearer and also elect the village NRM structures,” Museveni stated.
The activities, to be supervised by the NRM Electoral Commission, are scheduled to run strictly between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
To ensure full participation of government officials, Museveni announced that there would be no Cabinet meeting on Monday, May 5. He also confirmed that Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Anita Among had agreed to suspend plenary sittings on Tuesday.
Museveni will personally participate in the verification exercise at Rwakitura village in Kiruhura District, while First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni will oversee the process in Ireenga village, Ntungamo.
“I will, however, not line behind any candidate for election because, as chairman of the NRM, I welcome any choice of our members. I cannot and should not, therefore, take sides,” Museveni added.
The suspension of key government activities underscores the strategic importance the President places on this internal party exercise, which aims to strengthen NRM’s grassroots mobilization ahead of the 2026 elections.
Political analysts view the register verification as a critical step in eliminating ghost entries, resolving internal disputes, and building credible party structures — essential for a transparent nomination and campaign process.
With President Museveni widely expected to seek another term, the move signals a renewed focus on consolidating NRM’s support from the village level upward.
