While districts across Uganda on Thursday headed to the polls to elect district chairpersons, municipal mayors and city mayors, Namayingo District did not conduct elections for the LC V chairperson seat after the incumbent, Mr Ronald Sanya, returned unopposed.
Mr Sanya, who has chaired the district since 2016, secured a third term after clinching the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket and facing no challengers. He is now awaiting swearing-in.
The development marks Mr Sanya’s first term as an official NRM flag bearer, having previously served two consecutive terms as an Independent aligned to the ruling party.
Speaking to Daily Monitor on Thursday morning, Mr Sanya attributed his unopposed return to what he described as broad acceptance of his leadership record across the district.
‘After acknowledging my work, Peter Patrick Ochieng, who had contested as an Independent after losing in the primaries, decided to withdraw,’ Mr Sanya said.
Mr Ochieng publicly announced his withdrawal during President Museveni’s recent campaign rally in the area.
Mr Sanya said his administration’s focus on accountability and service delivery discouraged potential challengers from both within and outside the NRM.
‘I fought corruption in the district to ensure that funds meant for specific projects were used for their intended purposes, which enabled better service delivery,’ he said.
Local leaders and residents interviewed credited Mr Sanya’s leadership style, community engagement and project supervision for the political outcome.
‘My unopposed victory reflects my record of leadership and service delivery, particularly in education, health and infrastructure,’ Mr Sanya added.
Mr Philip Onyango, a resident of Dolwe Sub-county in the island areas of Namayingo, described Mr Sanya as a results-oriented leader with strong lobbying skills and effective partnerships with both government agencies and private actors.
‘Through partnerships with private stakeholders, teachers’ accommodation, desks and learning materials have improved, especially in hard-to-reach island communities,’ Mr Onyango said.
He noted that the interventions had contributed to improved school attendance and a more conducive learning environment.
Residents in both island and mainland sub-counties also reported improved access to basic health services following renovations of health facilities and tighter supervision of health workers.
Feeder roads connecting farming communities to markets have been opened and rehabilitated, easing transportation challenges and boosting local trade, according to local officials.
The district has also benefited from improved water sources and other community infrastructure projects aimed at raising living standards.
Mr Sanya said the achievements were the result of collective effort involving technical staff, councillors and residents.
‘This has been teamwork. What we have achieved is because people worked together for the good of Namayingo,’ he said.
Elsewhere in the Busoga sub-region, voting for district chairpersons and other local government positions continued, although early reports indicated generally low voter turnout in several districts.