Kikuube, Uganda: The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party candidate, Paddy Kisembo, has been elected Kikuube District Chairperson after securing a commanding victory to trounce the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) rival Fenekansi Timanyire in Thursday’s by-election.
Official results declared by Returning Officer Emmanuel Twine at Kikuube District Headquarters showed Kisembo winning with 26,612 votes, representing 75.34 percent of all valid votes cast. NUP’s Timanyire garnered 8,712 votes, equivalent to 24.66 percent of the valid tally.
Twine announced the final results at 9:41 PM after receiving returns from all 330 polling stations across the district.
“Accordingly, as Returning Officer for Kikuube Electoral District and in accordance with Section 147 of the Local Governments Act, Cap. 138, I declare Kisembo Paddy… who has obtained the largest number of votes to be elected candidate for Kikuube Electoral District,” Twine stated in the Electoral Commission declaration.
According to the official results, a total of 35,324 valid votes were cast, while 887 ballots were rejected and 74 ballot papers were spoiled. The district, which has 153,195 registered voters, recorded an estimated voter turnout of 23.6 percent.
Election officials reported a slow start to voting in several areas after some polling stations struggled to secure the minimum number of voter witnesses required to officially open the voting process.
Despite the low turnout, the Electoral Commission confirmed that results were successfully received from all 330 polling stations, representing a 100 percent return rate.
The by-election was occasioned by the death of former District Chairperson Peter Banura Araali, who died in a road accident on April 4, 2026.
Banura had recently been elected to another term and was widely credited for championing service delivery, local development and cohesion in the relatively young district.
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