The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has secured a dominant share of parish chairperson positions in Mukono District, winning 80 of the 97 seats in the just-concluded elections.
The polls were held under tight security and were largely reported to have been orderly, with no petitions filed following the declaration of results.
Mukono Returning Officer George William Eliau said the NRM won about 82 percent of the parish chairperson positions, while independent candidates secured 11 seats, the National Unity Platform (NUP) five and the Democratic Party (DP) two.
Eliau commended candidates and their supporters for adhering to electoral guidelines and maintaining mutual respect throughout the exercise. The results followed a similar pattern in the women’s councils and committees elections held the previous Sunday.
The NRM won 92 of the 97 women’s chairperson positions, while independent candidates took three and NUP two.
Across the five positions on each committee, chairperson, vice chairperson, general secretary, public secretary, and finance secretary- the NRM won 452 of the 485 positions, representing 94 percent.
Independents secured 25 positions, while NUP took six. The NRM’s dominance was reflected in several individual parish results.
In Namumira Parish, voting was conducted under tight security led by the head of operations, ASP Dison Ngobi, and Wantoni Police Officer ASP Katabazi.
Mukono Central Division election officer Robert Sekirya briefed voters on the voting procedures before the exercise began. Voting lasted about one and a half hours.
NRM candidate Stephen Kiggudu defeated independent candidate Sam Ssenyonjo, polling 63 votes against 31, although one record indicated Ssenyonjo received 32 votes.
Voters attributed Kiggudu’s re-election to his involvement in implementing government programmes, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM).
They said he had helped distribute government programmes without discriminating against residents based on political affiliation.
Mukono Municipality Mayor Robert Kabanda and other local leaders urged the newly elected officials to put political differences aside and concentrate on community development.
After his victory, Kiggudu thanked voters and pledged to continue serving the community, while Sekirya commended voters and security personnel for maintaining order during the election.
In Nantabulirwa Parish in Goma Division, NRM candidate and Greater Mukono ONC coordinator John Baptist Wamala defeated former Mukono Municipality Speaker Dorah Nakaddu Lwembawo of NUP by 58 votes to 23. Wamala later selected NUP’s Allan Musisi to serve as secretary on his committee, signalling an attempt to accommodate political differences in the parish leadership.
In Ntawo Parish, Dr Paul Kibuuka registered one of the biggest margins, defeating former area councillor John Sebunya 70 votes to three.
The winning candidates said their priorities would include monitoring government programmes, fighting corruption in the implementation of PDM, improving health services and ensuring that residents receive services regardless of their political affiliation.
However, some defeated candidates questioned the fairness of the elections, alleging that voters in some areas were induced with money. Nakaddu called for investigations into the allegations, warning that voter inducement could result in candidates who are not necessarily the most suitable for leadership being elected.
NUP Mukono registrar Richard Kasirivu Lugolobi, who also contested in one of the races, said the opposition had won only three of the eight villages in his parish, while the NRM took five.
He attributed the poor performance to reports that large sums of money had been distributed to voters. NRM parish chairperson Hannington Kabuggo Tamale, however, praised voters for choosing leaders he said were capable of implementing government programmes and urged the newly elected officials to focus on serving residents.
The results consolidate the NRM’s control of parish-level leadership in Mukono, while allegations of voter inducement from some opposition candidates could fuel debate over the conduct and competitiveness of the local elections-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
