Kampala, Uganda: The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) this week unveiled a state-of-the-art digital Vote Protection and Monitoring System that will not only shield President Museveni’s votes in the 2026 General Elections but also function as the backbone ICT infrastructure for tracking and evaluating government programmes across the country.
Launched Friday, November 14, 2025, at Kyambogo by ONC Manager SPA/PA Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, the new digital super system represents the most significant technological upgrade in the ONC’s operational history.
The system is a product of the dedicated efforts of both the ONC and the State House ICT Department, all working under the supervision of Hajjat Hamida Kibirige. The platform integrates real-time data flows, geolocation tracking, programme monitoring and a nationwide database of 144,000 trained vote protectors.
Monitor government programmes in real time
Beyond elections, for which the system was primarily developed, the Digital platform is designed to give ONC unprecedented visibility into the performance of key government interventions such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Programme, and funds allocated to markets, roads and health facilities.
Hajjat Namyalo said the digital infrastructure will provide factual, verifiable and centralised information to help the National Chairman’s office measure progress, flag failures and guide decision-making.
“It is not just a vote protection system,” Namyalo said. “It is a monitoring system that will give us knowledge, guide us on Museveni’s win, and show us what is working or failing in government programmes. Technology cannot lie. It gives factual evidence to counter propaganda and expose inefficiencies.”
The platform will enable ONC to verify whether PDM funds have reached intended beneficiaries, check progress of community projects, track Emyooga SACCO performance, and gather grassroots intelligence directly from coordinators on the ground.
A digital pivot bringing together NRM Units
Additionally, Hajjat revealed that the system will operate as a central data nerve centre, linking ONC, State House ICT, Internal Security teams, and district-level structures to ensure real-time coordination.
Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Duties and ONC attaché, David Kenneth Mafabi, reaffirmed that President Museveni personally assigned the ONC to spearhead the 2026 vote protection operation and fully endorsed the digital system as the command centre for the work ahead.
“This is the official message from the National Chairman himself,” Mafabi said. “Hajjat Namyalo has a full mandate to lead the vote protection structure. ONC remains the central pillar of this exercise.”
With all arms connected to one data ecosystem, ONC will now give political, security and administrative leaders a unified dashboard to track national progress, evaluate bottlenecks, and make informed decisions needed to “protect the gains.”
Technology as a weapon against rigging, misinformation
For elections, the system will monitor voter turnout, track deployment of the 144,000 vote protectors, flag suspicious movements, and verify identities of field operatives. “We are no longer in analogue,” Namyalo said. “This system will help us identify loopholes, monitor polling day activity, and ensure no single vote of Mzee is stolen.”
Meanwhile, Nakawa DISO Lt. Moses Tashobya warned coordinators against laxity, signalling that the system will only work if humans on the ground complement it with vigilance. “The system may be designed by IT gods, but if you walk away from your polling station, the enemy will take advantage,” he said. “This is the year to be alert and coordinated.”
He said the platform will strengthen cooperation between ONC, RDCs, DISOs, DPCs, CAOs and NRM structures, closing long-standing coordination gaps.
The system’s introduction marks a major shift in ONC operations, transforming it from a purely mobilization structure into a real-time digital command centre for political intelligence, grassroots monitoring, and national programme evaluation.
As Uganda races toward January 2026, ONC believes the super system will be the foundation that protects votes, verifies government performance and keeps the “bazzukulu” connected to central leadership through reliable data.
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