Kampala, Uganda: The Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, popularly known as Chief Muzzukulu, on Tuesday traversed several parts of Kampala to monitor the conduct of the Local Council I (LC1) Chairperson elections, as she urged Ugandans to elect leaders committed to development, accountability and effective service delivery at the grassroots.
The nationwide exercise, organised by the Electoral Commission, saw voters in 71,214 villages across Uganda elect LC1 chairpersons using the open lining-up voting system, marking one of the country’s largest grassroots democratic exercises.
Hajjat Namyalo began her monitoring tour in Nakawa’s Kigogwa, Kalina Abbiri Village I, where she visited Ntinda Hospital Polling Station and interacted with voters and election officials.
She encouraged residents to vote for leaders capable of working closely with the government to ensure the effective implementation of national development programmes and improved service delivery.
Her tour later took her to Banda B1–Acholi Quarters, where she continued monitoring the electoral process and urged residents to elect leaders committed to poverty alleviation, development and accountable leadership at the village level.
Chief Muzzukulu also visited Kamwanyi Zone in Nsambya, Mukiyembe and Kabalagala Central, where she assessed the progress of voting and commended residents for maintaining peace, discipline and order throughout the exercise.
At Goodwill Polling Station in Nsambya, Hajjat Namyalo had intended to cast her vote but found that Igogo Catherine had already been declared elected unopposed after no challenger emerged for the position.
She congratulated the newly elected LC1 chairperson and pledged to work with the local leadership to advance community development priorities, including improving roads and expanding government wealth creation programmes.
Throughout the monitoring exercise, Hajjat Namyalo emphasized the critical role played by LC1 chairpersons as the first link between citizens and government.
She noted that village chairpersons are responsible for mobilising communities, maintaining local security, resolving disputes, handling land-related matters and coordinating the implementation of government initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).
Chief Muzzukulu also reiterated the importance of conducting peaceful, free and credible elections, urging all stakeholders to respect the will of voters and refrain from acts of intimidation or interference.
She clarified that the Office of the National Chairman had deployed its district and regional coordinators across the country solely to mobilise citizens to participate in the elections and monitor the performance of National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates, and not to interfere with the Electoral Commission’s mandate.
As voting concluded across Uganda’s villages, Hajjat Namyalo described the LC1 elections as an important milestone in strengthening grassroots democracy and ensuring communities are led by accountable leaders committed to delivering government programmes effectively.
“The leaders elected today will shape the direction of our villages for the next five years. Let us continue to support leaders who will work for the people and bring government services closer to every community,” she said.
The LC1 elections formed part of the Electoral Commission’s roadmap towards the 2026–2031 electoral cycle, with village councils serving as the foundation of Uganda’s local governance system and playing a central role in community mobilisation, local administration and implementation of government programmes at the grassroots.
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