Central to Hajjat’s mobilisation strategy was the Tova Ku Main campaign, a defiant youth-driven movement that President Museveni would later officially endorse during his formal nomination as NRM presidential flagbearer for 2026.
Kampala, Uganda: The surge of youthful victories in the just-concluded NRM primaries sparked a political awakening that traces back to one woman’s relentless and strategic mobilisation — Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and National Coordinator for the Bazzukulu at the Office of the NRM National Chairman (ONC).
Since her appointment by President Yoweri Museveni to the Kyambogo office in 2022, Namyalo has fought a bruising war; battling internal sabotage, factional smear campaigns, and overt attempts to pit her against the First Family and unending fights, yet she emerged as the unwavering engine behind the rejuvenation of youth within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
Central to Hajjat’s mobilisation strategy was the Tova Ku Main campaign, a defiant youth-driven movement that President Museveni would later officially endorse during his formal nomination as NRM presidential flagbearer for 2026. It marked a historic turning point, for the first time, a mobilization unit outside the traditional NRM structures was publicly credited by the President as a decisive factor in his return bid.
“When I launched Tova Ku Main, many dismissed it as noise. But I knew the Bazzukulu had something powerful in them. All I did was give them a platform, and today, the NRM is reaping from that decision,” Namyalo told DailyExpress in an exclusive interview.
From economic empowerment drives and community skilling expos to football galas and regional boxing showdowns, Namyalo and the ONC (Office of the National Chairman) turned mobilisation into a mass movement. Her unique method bypassed stale party structures and met youth where they thrive, in action, in aspiration, and in community-based engagement.
But it wasn’t an easy ride; though seen as a fierce mobilizer, Hajjat faced relentless attacks from political insiders uncomfortable with her growing influence, many of whom tried to paint her as an obstacle to any attempt at the presidency, other than Museveni. Through it all, she remained defiant.
“My assignment from Mzee was clear; bring back the Bazzukulu to the Movement and ensure his 2026 return is unstoppable. I’m not here to fight anyone. I’m here to deliver results,” she emphasized.
Youth Take Over NRM Primaries, Credit Namyalo
The full effect of Hajjat’s mobilization became evident in the recently concluded NRM primaries, from LC5 to Parliament, with dozens of youthful candidates, many linked to ONC mobilisation networks, clinching party tickets.
In Ntungamo, for example, 25-year-old Viola Namanya Buroko stunned political veterans to become the NRM flagbearer for District Woman MP. In Namisindwa, Peace Khalayi, now 28, emerged victorious in a tightly contested Woman MP primary, while journalist Emma Bwayo clinched the party ticket for the LC5 Chairperson.
These, selected among a few, all credit their political rise to the inspiration and structures built by ONC under Namyalo. “Without Hajjat Namyalo’s mobilisation in our region, most youth would still be sitting on the sidelines. She gave us purpose,” Peace Khalayi, said during her celebratory moments after being declared winner in Namisindwa Woman MP primaries.
“We saw youth win at every level, LC1 to Parliament. It’s no accident. The Bazzukulu had a plan, and it worked,” said Bwayo, who is currently a youth councillor at the Namisindwa Local Goverment council.
At the parliamentary level elsewhere, former Nakawa and Rubaga Deputy RCC, Herbert Anderson Burora, won the NRM flag in Nakawa West and is now lined up for a showdown against NUP’s Joel Ssenyonyi come 2026. “ONC’s political mobilisation was the missing link in reviving grassroots NRM activity. Hajjat Namyalo brought the fire,” Burora said.
In Kalungu District, Greater Masaka ONC Coordinator, Hellen Nakeeya, won the Woman MP flag for the ruling NRM party, while Otim Benard, another ONC Coordinator for Apac District, won the Parliamentary flag for Maruzi North Constituency.
Reflecting on the emphatic victory in the Maruzi North Primaries, Otim, ful of gratitude, hailed the nurturing of Chief Muzzukulu and President Museveni, which proved pivotal in his grassroot mobilization activities on the ground in Apac.
“I would like to send particular gratitude to H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Chairman NRM through SPA/Manager ONC, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, whose leadership and guidance has been pivotal to this success,” Otim told DailyExpress.
“As a mobilizer and coordinator of the Office of the National Chairman, I have been able to utilize the strategic positioning of ONC to galvanize support for the NRM party and H.E the President, in particular,” he added.
Other notable winners in the NRM primaries include: Chesol Tom Komu (LC5 Chairperson Flag Holder – Bukwo District), Muluya Mansoor, (Mpigi LC5 Chair Flag), Ashurah Nakakande, (NRM flagbearer for Woman Councillor Lwebitakuli S/C – Sembabule), and Kisaame Samuel, the newly elected NRM flag bearer for LCV Councillor Nakawa West Division.
ONC Soars in NRM Grassroot structures
In the May elections for NRM grassroots structures, ONC-backed candidates secured a commanding majority across the three administrative tiers of village, parish, and sub-county leadership structures—positions critical in determining the NRM’s internal Central Executive Committee (CEC) delegates.
Out of the 2,160,000 positions from the 72,000 villages, ONC got 1,348,981 candidates. These include village chairpersons, vice chairpersons, secretaries, youth, and women league leaders. At parish level, where Uganda has 10,730 parishes and a total of 321,900 NRM positions, Namyalo said ONC scooped 153,200 positions, including 7,200 parish chairpersons.
ONC’s influence was even more dominant at the sub-county level, where political competition was most intense with 28,981 positions out of 65,730 total positions at this level, while out of the 2,191 subcounty chairperson positions, ONC got 1,680 candidates.
At the Municipality and District level, ONC still dominated with the Mukono coordinator John Baptist Wamala securing the party chairpersonship for the Municipality, while in Mpigi, Kaweesi Sulaiman clinched the district party chairperson slot; both being products of the Bazzukulu empowerment trail.
Kyeswa Hakim, the aspiring National Vice Chairperson for Central Region and elected Mukono District NRM Publicity Secretary, is also a product of Hajjat Namyalo’s grassroot mobilization efforts and is eager to take on the party leadership as a CEC Member at the National Executive Council (NEC).
What This Means for NRM’s Future
Hajjat Namyalo believes the youth surge signifies more than just numbers; it’s a paradigm shift in party dynamics. “This is a generational statement. The Bazzukulu are not just participants; they are decision-makers now. And come 2026, they are going to deliver the most revolutionary election result NRM has ever had,” she said.
At the Secretariat, the youth wave is being acknowledged. While official figures are still being compiled, insiders say over 45% of new NRM flagbearers at local and parliamentary levels are under the age of 40, a historic shift.
Senior political analysts like James Ssentongo summed it up aptly, saying, “Hajjat Namyalo didn’t just mobilize — she sparked a political wildfire. If the NRM wins the youth vote in 2026, she’ll be the reason.”
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