Big Win: NUP Takes Over Leadership for Eight Sub Counties in Luwero

The National Unity Platform Party has won eight LC III Chairperson seats in Luwero district further strengthing its grip in an area where the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM party has enjoyed enormous support over the years.

According to results declared by Nathan Nabaasa, the Luwero District Returning Officer, NRM retained only seven of the seats, while independent candidates took over three seats. Among the NUP winners is  an upcoming artist John Buwembo, who won the LCIII Chairperson’s seat for Luwero Town Council after defeating incumbent Paul Mukungu Ssenyonga. Buwembo scored 4,609 votes whereas got 3,571 votes.

Nabaasa also declared Moses Ssebalamu as the winner in Wobulenzi Town Council after defeating his arch-rival Sebastian Ssebagala, an Independent candidate and Henry Kiguli Kyobe of NRM Party. Sebalamu got 3,426 votes whereas Ssebagala scored 1,316 votes and Kyobe got only 115 votes.

Richard Nyombi won in  Busiika Town Council, Steven Nkwanga in Ndejje, Tom Kimbowa Badda for Makulubita sub-county and Sebastian Ssemalulu in Butuntumula sub-county.

NUP also registered scores of directly elected councillors that have won seats at sub-counties on its ticket.

Nkwanga, Ssemalulu and Kimbowa told URN that their win was a continuation of an earlier message sent to President Yoweri Museveni that the residents are not happy about his leadership. Kimbowa said that residents lost trust in the NRM party for failure to end land grabbing in his area.

The majority of LCIII Chairperson seats in Luwero have been under the leadership of NRM party leaders since the party took over power in 1986 and later ushered in decentralization policy. However, the party has now retained control in Luwero, Nyimbwa, Kikyuusa and Bamunanika sub-counties as well as Kikyusa, Kamira and  Zirobwe town councils.

Paul Salabwa, the elected LC III Chairperson for Kikyusa Town Council said some of the party candidates lost for failing to lobby for sub-counties while in leadership.

Osman Kassim Ramathan, an NRM-leaning Independent candidate who retained the LCIII Chairperson seat of Bombo Town Council said that the residents were satisfied with the improvement in service delivery and relations with the district leadership among other issues.

NRM has lost the LCV Chairperson seat, all Parliamentary seats and the presidential vote in Luweero District.

Meanwhile, in Nakaseke, NRM won 11 LC III Chairperson seats while the Democratic Party got one seat and two were Independent candidates. Elections for Kasangombe sub-county were halted after the name of one of the candidate was erred.

In Nakasongola, NRM won eleven LC III Chairperson seats whereas NUP took one LCIII Chairperson seat for Migyera Town Council and one was an independent candidate. In Nakaseke and Nakasongola, hundreds of Parish directly elected councillors won on NRM tickets.