By KT Reporter
Asuman Mugoya, 80, a resident of Wairaka-Nalubaale village in Kakira town council, Jinja district, is nursing injuries he sustained in suspected electoral violence that erupted during final campaign rallies ahead of today’s L.C.III elections. Mugoya says he was seated outside his house on Monday evening, February 2nd, 2026, when a group of rowdy youths armed with sticks rounded him up and beat him, hitting him in the neck area. He says he is currently receiving treatment from a local clinic following the attack.
Mugoya is among several residents injured during the final rally of one of the candidates contesting for the Kakira town council L.C.III chairperson seat. Residents of Wairaka-Nalubaale village allege that the violence occurred during the final campaign rally of National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate John Kamau. They claim that Kamau moved with rowdy youths, commonly referred to as “egali,” whom they accuse of beating up residents who objected to his candidature.
The residents say the clashes left seven people hospitalized, while more than a dozen others are receiving treatment on an outpatient basis. Fauza Mbalya, a member of the village women’s committee, says the scuffle unfolded before her eyes as she went to pick up her children from school. Mbalya says that before the violence broke out, some members of the public had declined to attend Kamau’s rally for reasons best known to them.
She says this sparked heated exchanges between the residents and Kamau’s team, which later escalated into a fight that left many people injured. Steven Mugabi, another resident, says he was standing outside his house when he saw a group of youths pelting stones towards the residential area. Mugabi says he locked his family inside the house as a safety measure, but the sounds of stones hitting rooftops intensified.
Mugabi says cries for help from outside signaled a possible attack on the village, prompting him to open his house. However, he says about six young men immediately hijacked him and beat him on the head, leaving him at the mercy of well-wishers who later arranged for his treatment at a private clinic. Mugabi says he is currently experiencing severe head pain following the Monday attack.
Ronald Weere, the area L.C.1 chairperson, says the village was attacked by a gang of about 200 rowdy youths armed with sticks and machetes. Weere explains that the lower part of the village lies near a landing site and that the attackers sealed off the area, leaving residents with no option to flee to safer spaces.
Weere says that, “the nature of campaigns nowadays has changed, with some candidates opting for violence as a means of exerting their superiority over opponents rather than applying convincing language. With beatings sustained by my people at the hands of the unidentified rowdy youths, my people are already scared, and most of them might not vote today.”
He argues that security operatives ought to create a safe space for the public to fully participate in the electoral process by disciplining perpetrators of election-related violence. “These beatings have been happening in Kakira town council throughout all the election cycles; however, no arrests are made in this regard, leaving the vice to sprout unhindered,” Weere says.
Aggrey Muloki, a senior resident in the area, says the Monday attack has created fear among residents, many of whom are distancing themselves from today’s electoral process. Muloki suspects that violence is being used by some candidates to neutralize the strongholds of their opponents, forcing them either into submission or withdrawal from voting. He says this enables candidates to consolidate support in areas where they are strong, while their opponents struggle to recover from episodes of violent attacks.
Six candidates are contesting for the Kakira town council L.C.III chairperson seat. They include John Kamau of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Christopher Kiiza of the National Unity Platform (NUP), David Muwuliza of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and three independent candidates—Charles Bogere, Fred Isiko, and Eriya Katula.Kamau has denied participating in or supporting election-related violence, saying his campaign team peacefully traversed five villages in Wairaka ward before they were allegedly provoked by supporters of his opponents in Wairaka-Nalubaale.
Kamau says the violence was sponsored by his opponents to tarnish his image just hours before the election. “Some of my opponents, instead of canvassing for votes,s have opted for last minute theatrics geared towards tarnishing my name, forgetting that I have religiously campaigned for the past two months, which I believe endears me more to the voters compared to them,” he says.
Kamau adds that, “violence is an outdated political trick, unsuitable for the existing modern civilization, and I cannot be found to be subservient to such.” The Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Ahmed Katerega, has cautioned candidates to sensitize their supporters against election-related violence, noting that such acts create fear among residents and amplify hostilities among neighbors meant to live peacefully.
Katerega says the Monday violence is under investigation and that detectives have already recorded statements from the victims, which will aid in the arrest of the attackers without prejudice. He has also urged members of the public to embrace peace throughout the electoral process, saying it allows communities with differing political ideologies to maintain good relations.
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