The declaration of Mr Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo, 54, of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party as the newly-elected Kampala Lord Mayor came on the heels of the defeat of long-serving Mayor Erias Lukwago in the January 22 election.
Born in September 1972 to Mr and Ms Expedito Balimwezo in Entebbe, Mr Balimwezo attended Lake Victoria Primary School before proceeding to Bukalasa Seminary for his secondary education. He became a born-again Christian in 1998. He later advanced to other institutes of learning, acquiring various skills, including architecture and construction at a diploma level, before climbing the academic ladder to a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering at Kyambogo University.
He then attained a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Makerere University. Before venturing into elective politics, Mr Balimwezo earned his bread and butter as a civil engineer and lecturer at Kyambogo University. He worked on numerous public and private projects, served as town engineer for Wobulenzi Town Council, and acted as consultant for Kasana-Luweero Diocese during the extension of its cathedral. Mr Balimwezo was involved in major construction projects such as the State House in Entebbe.
He also served as resident engineer at Mulago Hospital and led the team overseeing construction works at Namugongo ahead of the 2015 papal visit. As a youth, he had a soft spot for athletics, participating in boxing, football, and running, sports that, he says, exposed him to the rough and tumble of city life. He founded the Balimwezo Community Foundation, focusing on community support programmes among disadvantaged groups in Nakawa.
Political journey
In 1993, he first contested as a student representative. But it was at Kyambogo that he cut his political teeth. At 19, he became the village chairperson in Kyambogo. In 2000, he threw his hat into the ring for the councillor position in Kyambogo after discovering rampant theft and crime in the area, with daily criminal deaths being recorded at the time. He later served as LC2 vice chairperson, where he petitioned Gen Katumba Wamala for the establishment of a police station, an institution that still stands today. He further served as the district councillor in 2002, during the leadership of former Kampala Mayor Sebaana Kizito.
In 2006 and 2011, Mr Balimwezo contested for Nakawa Division Mayor but was defeated amid claims of vote rigging. However, fortune finally smiled on him in 2016 when he clinched the seat and governed for one term. He later joined NUP, contested for the Member of Parliament position for Nakawa East Constituency in 2021, and won a seat in the 11th Parliament. Mr Balimwezo, married to Ms Racheal Balimwezo, made waves on social media in late November 2025 after welcoming twins, an event that sparked online chatter about ‘equalising with the incumbent’. Mr Lukwago himself is a father of twins. He says he decided to leave Parliament after questioning whether he was making enough impact.
The new mayor says his bid for the position was triggered by a number of issues he vows to tackle. He says he intends to change the impunity mindset of Kampala’s residents, strengthen the rule of law, and lobby for services from the central government, among other priorities. A road accident in 2000 became a turning point that fueled his mission to reform Kampala’s infrastructure and service delivery systems. While returning from work in Luweero, Mr Balimwezo was knocked down while riding a motorcycle as a driver swerved to avoid a pothole. He lost his leg and now walks with an artificial limb. He recalls lying at the scene for almost two hours, bleeding heavily, with no ambulance in sight despite being close to Naguru Hospital in the capital, Kampala.
He was later taken to Mulago Hospital, where he suffered from gangrene. The accident spurred him to speak out about road safety and emergency care. He later supported community first-aid clinics in Kitintale, a city suburb, introduced motorcycle services for health workers as first responders. After the Kiteezi landfill crisis that claimed at least 35 lives on August 2024, Mr Balimwezo travelled to South Korea to learn about waste management. He insists that many of Kampala’s woes stem from poor engineering.