By Aggrey Baba
A stitch in time saves nine, and for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), the time to stitch its tattered membership register may be now.
President Yoweri Museveni, who also doubles as the party chairman has called for urgent corrections after discovering major inconsistencies in the party’s books during yesterday’s village-level primaries.
Speaking from his home polling station in Rwakitura, Museveni revealed that an audit of the local register showed 61 out of 351 listed members were either deceased or had moved away.
“Only 290 of the names were of people still around,” the President noted, adding that the findings pointed to a wider issue across the country.
But perhaps more striking was his mention that even his own grandchildren, the children of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, are of voting age but missing from the NRM list.
“This shows the need for better registration systems. There are many young people who may want to join but have been left out,” he said.
The problem isn’t confined to Rwakitura, because in some parts of Kampala, and the country over, voting was halted altogether because the voter registers were either outdated or incomplete.
As the saying goes, “You cannot harvest what you did not plant.” And without proper records, organizing meaningful elections becomes nearly impossible.
NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi echoed the concern during the launch of the NRM Baraza, saying the current exercise is being used as a chance to clean up the party register. “This is an audit, not just to remove ghost names, but also to see who is missing,” he said.
Despite the glitches, the party’s Secretary General Richard Todwong commended members for maintaining peace and order during the village primaries, calling for the same spirit as attention shifts to upcoming parish elections.
“Unity and discipline are what keep our party strong,” Todwong said on his official X platform.
With the spotlight now on registration, all eyes are on how the NRM will bridge the gaps before the next electoral stage, yet for a party preparing for bigger political battles, this may be the moment to fix the roof while the sun still shines. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
