Kampala, Uganda: The Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, Eng. Ronald Balimwezo has taken an early lead in the Kampala Lord Mayor race, edging ahead of incumbent Erias Lukwago as preliminary results from polling stations across the capital continue to trickle in.
Early results from Kampala Central, Lubaga, Nakawa, Kawempe and Makindye divisions indicate Balimwezo leading Lukwago by a notable margin in several polling stations, including parts of Lubaga, traditionally Lukwago’s stronghold, and Nakawa, Balimwezo’s home base.
Results from Kawempe also showed the NUP candidate ahead, though officials cautioned that the figures remain provisional.
The contest pits Ronald Balimwezo of the National Unity Platform against Erias Lukwago, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) party leader who has held the city’s top political office since 2011.
Voter turnout across Kampala was visibly low, with several voters citing disillusionment following the January 15, 2026, presidential and parliamentary elections.
Many pointed to claims of electoral malpractice and the declaration of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and several NRM parliamentary candidates as winners, outcomes disputed by opposition figures, including Bobi Wine, who has publicly rejected the results as falsified.
Beyond Balimwezo and Lukwago, the Kampala Lord Mayor race attracted a crowded field that included Beatrice Nambi Mao (DP), Ibrahim Kasozi (FDC), Moses Kizito Nsubuga (NRM), and independents Eddy Bazira, Nabilah Naggayi Ssempala, and Jothan Yamureebire Burobuto.
Lukwago, a city lawyer by training, has led Kampala City Hall for 15 years, first elected in 2011, and is seeking to extend his tenure amid growing competition from a new generation of opposition politicians.
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