A murder suspect currently on remand has been elected Local Council I (LC1) chairperson of Corner Zone Village in Kawempe Division after defeating the incumbent in a closely contested election. Gerald Sande polled 191 votes to unseat incumbent Mathius Mulumba, who received 160 votes.The contest attracted significant public interest, with Sande’s supporters displaying a large campaign billboard bearing his photograph as they lined up after voter verification. Sande is on remand facing murder charges arising from an alleged mob justice incident in which a man suspected of theft was killed.
He was initially arrested and arraigned before Nabweru Chief Magistrate’s Court, where he was granted bail. However, the bail was later cancelled, leading to his re-arrest and remand.
Despite his detention, Sande contested the election and emerged victorious.Jane Nansamba, a resident of Corner Zone, told Uganda Radio Network that Sande became known in the area for patrolling with a panga, claiming to protect residents from criminal gangs accused of attacking people with paving stones and stealing mobile phones.
She alleged that he sometimes took the law into his own hands and was involved in mob justice incidents in which two suspected thieves were killed, while others narrowly escaped.
Tony Muyunga defended Sande’s election, arguing that Mulumba had relocated from the village and was no longer actively involved in community affairs.
He also accused the outgoing chairperson of failing to address insecurity, saying residents had continued to suffer attacks by gangs that assaulted people with paving stones and robbed them.
Muyunga said Sande had played an active role in confronting suspected criminals and expressed hope that his election would improve security.
Corner Zone is one of three villages in Kazo-Angola Parish, Kawempe Division. The informal settlement is home to residents from different parts of the country.
Security was heavily deployed during the election, with police, Counter-Terrorism Police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on standby to respond to any incidents.
In neighbouring Katooke LC1, Steven Kaweesa won the chairperson’s race by just two votes.
Kaweesa, who previously attracted national attention after alleging on television that he had been asked to pay more than 100 million shillings to secure the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket for the Nansana Municipality parliamentary race. He later joined the National Resistance Movement (NRM). He defeated independent candidate Hajjat Hadijja Namulwana Dumba by 452 votes to 450-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
