Just like the January 15 parliamentary elections, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has again proved its political prowess, sweeping the majority of district and mayoral seats across the country.
However, the victories did not come easily. In some districts, the NRM victory was contested at tally centres while in some places, Opposition ticket holders were announced winners, but moments later, the Electoral Commission (EC) returning officers overturned their decisions, declaring the NRM flag bearers as winners. In Mukono District, there was drama and tension last Friday after the district returning officer, Ms Emily Amongin, declared two winners for the LC5 chairperson post.
At around 3pm, Ms Amongin declared Mr Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party as the winner of the tense Thursday polls, saying he had garnered 51,686 votes and his closest contender, Mr Francis Lukooya Mukoome of NRM, had polled 50,254 votes, which was a difference of 1,432 votes, while the other candidate, Mr Lauben Ssenjonjo, who contested on the Independent ticket, garnered 2,995 votes. After making the declaration, Ms Amongin was allegedly dragged out of the tally centre by a group of soldiers and some NRM officials led by the party’s district chairperson, Mr Haruna Ssemakula. By the time Ms Amongin was forced out of the tally centre, she had not given Mr Muyanja a copy of the official declaration of results sheet.
After a closed door meeting that dragged on for hours, Ms Amongin emerged from the room at around 6:30pm and rescinded her earlier declaration. This time without explaining the circumstances, she declared Mr Lukooya as winner with 52,523 votes, saying Mr Muyanja had polled 52,105 votes, indicating a margin of 418 votes while Mr Ssenyonjo had 3,095 votes. One of the NRM leaders who preferred anonymity for fear of being reprimanded, told this publication that during the meeting, several ballot papers were ticked in favour of Mr Lukooya and stuffed into a ballot box before Ms Amongin was coerced to write another declaration of results form. However, Daily Monitor could not independently verify this claim by press time.
Also by press time, Ms Amongin had not responded to our calls over the matter. The NRM chairperson in Mukono, Mr Semakula, however, denied being involved in vote rigging at the tally centre, as alleged by some voters. ‘I just went to the returning officer with my team to tell her to declare the right person because she had made a mistake of declaring Muyanja, NUP and yet for us we know that it’s Lukooya NRM who had won, so that’s why we engaged her in a meeting to correct the results and announce the right person,’ he said. In Wakiso, NUP flag bearer for district top seat Nasiif Najja claimed he had won the race. He said the returning officer, Mr Tolbert Musinguzi instead declared NRM’s Ian Kyeyune winner with 177,710 votes. The declaration sheet showed that Mr Najja got 99,235 votes.
A total of 3,003 votes were invalid, 578 spoilt. When Mr Najja, the current district speaker tried to protest Mr Musinguzi’s declaration, he was roughed up by security operatives who left him nearly naked. The Democratic Front (DF) flag bearer came third with 10,597 votes. Also, several NUP flag bearers for the councillorship also raised similar sentiments and were forced out of the tally centre. In Masaka District, NRM leaders are still jubilating after the party flag bearers won the top district seat and majority of the councillor slots.
Masaka District returning officer, Ms Mable Kwarikunda announced Mr John Kakande (NRM), an educationist, as the newly-elected candidate with 13,262 votes, while Mr John Sekasiko of the Democratic Party (DP) got 5,671 votes and Mr Francis Kimuli Sempala (NUP) came third with 5,577 votes. NRM also won in other districts in Buganda sub-region, including Bukomansimbi, Lyantonde, Kyotera, Rakai, Sembabule, Gomba, Kalangala, Buvuma, Kassanda, Mityana,Kayunga, Mukono, Nakasongola, Nakaseke,Kyankwanzi,Butambala and Mubende. NUP only won in districts of Kalungu, Buikwe, Mpigi, Luweero, Lwengo as well as the two cities of Kampala, Masaka.
The sub-region has 26 districts. NRM also maintained its political dominance in sub-regions of Tooro, Rwenzori, and Bunyoro with its candidates overwhelmingly defeating Opposition contenders. The three sub-regions comprise two regional cities, Fort Portal and Hoima, and 17 districts. While voters in the two cities elected independent candidates as mayors, the NRM swept nearly all district chairperson positions, reaffirming its grip on local government leadership. In the city mayoral races, Rev Kintu Willy Muhanga won in Fort Portal City, while Mr Edward Isingoma emerged victorious in Hoima City. The duo contested as independent candidates.
In Hoima, incumbent mayor Brian Kaboyo of NRM was defeated, while in Fort Portal City, the incumbent Edison Asaba Ruyonga, also of the NRM, did not seek re-election. At the district level, NRM recorded a landslide victory, winning 14 out of the 17 LC5 chairperson seats. Most of the victorious NRM candidates were incumbents who successfully bounced back. The remaining three seats were won by independent candidates, all of whom are politically aligned with NRM after losing party primaries last July.
Notably, the elections marked historic back-to-back victories in Kasese and Kamwenge districts, areas traditionally known for one-term leadership turnover. Mr Eliphaz Bukombi Muhindi of Kasese District and Joseph Karungi of Kamwenge District both retained their LC5 seats for a second term, an unprecedented achievement in these districts. In Kamwenge, since its creation from Kabarole District in 2000, all previous chairpersons had served only a single five-year term. While Ms Efrance Kenyonyozi, the Kitagwenda District chairperson-elect, was declared unopposed.
The Opposition only managed to win two of the 12 seats. The districts of Bugiri, Namayingo, Namutumba, Kaliro and Jinja had their current chairpersons voted back. Mr Meddy Mbetyo, the national deputy secretary for mobilisation for Eastern Region in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) , cited lack of unity as a major factor behind the Opposition’s defeat in the area. ‘Efforts are wasted when selfish interests take centre stage. We must be united to succeed,’ he explained. In Kigezi Sub-region, the pattern did not change. A section of leaders in the sub-region attribute NRM’s victory to strategic mobilisation tactics that included the establishment of 63 taskforce members in every village.
‘The NRM party flag bearers were able to win the district LC5 chairperson seats here because of vigorous mobilisation campaigns that emphasised the explanation on NRM party gains to the community members and the importance of protecting such gains,’ Mr Moses Mr Moses Turyomurugyendo Ntahobari, the NRM secretariat grass root coordinator for Kigezi, said. It’s only in Kanungu District where NRM party flag bearer Justus Tibesigwa lost to Mr Francis Byamukama (Independent). The Kanungu District NRM party chairperson, Mr Caleb Kipande, attributed the loss to the NRM party primary elections that were marred by several irregularities. ‘We do not have Opposition leaders in Kanungu District.
All the independent candidates that won the final elections were as a result of the poorly-managed NRM party primary elections that were characterised by several irregularities that were against the will of the people,’ Mr Kipande said. In Acholi Sub-region, a total of seven incumbent district chairpersons across the eight districts lost their seats. Only Mr Sisto Oyet, the incumbent LC5 chairperson of Lamwo District, secured a re-election, beating his rival, Mr Jimmy Amone, an independent candidate, by a difference of 255 votes after polling 17,766 against Mr Amone’s 17,521 votes. In Omoro District, NRM’s Douglas Peter Okello, the incumbent, lost to Mr Andrew Okot who polled 20,507 votes against his 10,020 votes.
In the neighbouring Gulu District, DP candidate Justine Obol defeated incumbent Christopher Opiyo Ateker, of NRM. Mr Obol garnered 9,983 votes against Mr Opiyo’s 3,507 votes. In Kitgum District, DP’s Christopher Obol Arwai, the incumbent chairperson, lost to NRM’s Tonny Olenge Tolit. Meanwhile, a youthful Wilson Otto (Independent) brought to an end a two-term dominance of Mr Leonard Opiyo Ojok (NRM) as the Agago District chairperson. He secured a total of 26,865 votes against Mr Ojok’s 20,898 votes. In Pader, Mr Alfred Akena (Independent), while speaking to the media upon being declared by the EC as winner in LC5 chairperson’s race, said poor road network, slow economic development and gaps in education and health services in the district were the basis of his decision to return to politics.
‘Services are poor, right from agriculture, education, health, among others, and indeed, infrastructure is worse. Our strategy will ensure that basic road networks are refurbished to help farmers link with better markets, which is a priority, and also revive all the dormant ordinances on alcohol and education in the district, among others,’ he said. Mr Akena, who garnered 20,779 votes, beat the incumbent, Fearless Obwoya Oyat (NRM), who got 4,895 votes, to regain the seat he lost 10 years ago.