ONC’s Buyela Christopher enters race for NRM Vice Chair Eastern Region

Bugisu, Uganda: Christopher Buyela, an active coordinator under the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), has declared his intention to contest for the position of National Vice Chairperson for the Eastern Region on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Buyela, a veteran grassroots mobilizer and former youth leader, says his candidacy is a call to inject renewed energy, loyalty, and grassroots-driven policy engagement within the NRM structures in Eastern Uganda.

The declaration during a closed door meeting held at ONC Kyambogo Head Offices, where he pledged to prioritize unity, service, and structured engagement with ordinary party members across the sub-region.

“Today, I present myself, Buyela Christopher, as a candidate for NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Region, standing not just as an individual, but as a voice for the voiceless,” Buyela, who is also ONC Regional Coordinator for Bugisu, said briefly after the meeting.

He emphasized that his candidature is backed by the call to be the voice “for the veterans and historicals who fought for our freedom but have not fully received the attention they deserve, for the youths, who make up 78% of Uganda’s population, but are too often left out of planning and empowerment.”

“For the NRM mobilizers, who build victories on the ground but are forgotten after elections, and for the women, who have carried this party for decades but remain underrepresented in top leadership.”

“My decision to vie for this position is not based on personal ambition but on conviction and a deep desire to give Eastern Uganda a proactive, present, and visionary representative in the highest decision-making organ of our party. I am prepared to serve with humility and courage,” he asserted.

Buyela’s campaign is grounded in what he calls a “return to ideological clarity and people-centered mobilization.” He says his time under the ONC has exposed him to the deep aspirations of ordinary citizens and built his capacity to bridge party structures with service delivery.

“I am running because our people in the East deserve a voice that listens, mobilizes with results, and promotes ideological discipline as taught by our Chairman, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,” he added.

Who Votes for NRM CEC Members?

The National Vice Chairpersons are elected by delegates at the NRM National Delegates’ Conference (NDC), the supreme organ of the party, which brings together thousands of party leaders from across the country every five years. These delegates include;

1. All members of the National Executive Council (NEC)
2. Members of Parliament on the NRM ticket
3. NRM flagbearers in the last general election
4. District Chairpersons and Secretaries for Women, Youth, and PWDs
5. NRM Chairpersons from villages, parishes, sub-counties, and districts
6. Special interest group representatives, including youth and women leaders

The NRM elections for the CEC slots are conducted by secret ballot and overseen by the party’s Electoral Commission.

The Central Executive Committee (CEC) is the highest decision-making body in the NRM, second only to the National Delegates’ Conference. The CEC is chaired by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who also serves as the party’s National Chairman and it guides party policy, resolves internal disputes, prepares for elections, and implements resolutions of the Delegates’ Conference.

The position of National Vice Chairperson (Eastern) is one of five regional vice chair roles on the committee, representing Uganda’s major regions: Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, and Kampala.

ONC Coordinators in CEC Race

Buyela’s declaration adds to a growing list of ONC Coordinators who are seeking national leadership roles within the NRM. These include: Hakim Kyeswa, contesting for National Vice Chairperson (Central Region) and most recently, Kyanika Rehema, vying for National Chairperson of the NRM Women’s League

The trio represents a growing wave of President Museveni’s trusted coordinators seeking to translate grassroots mobilisation experience into top-level party governance.

The upcoming NRM Delegates’ Conference, expected later this year, will elect new members of the Central Executive Committee, marking a critical moment for internal renewal as the party prepares for the 2026 general elections.